CPSC Report Confirms Safety Of Soft Contained Playgrounds

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today is releasing a report showing that properly supervised and maintained playgrounds made of Soft Contained Playground Equipment are safe alternatives to traditional, outdoor playgrounds.

Soft Contained Playground Equipment (SCPE) includes large- diameter plastic tubes for children to crawl through, climbing nets, slides, ball pools, and padded floor surfaces. CPSC's report was based on a six month, on-site review of 13 soft contained playground centers, children's use of the playground equipment, and an analysis of injury data. Report results suggest that the SCPE's design, including its use of padded flooring, can reduce the risk of children falling by containing children inside an enclosed structure. Falls to the ground account for 60 percent of injuries on traditional playgrounds.

CPSC received a report in 1995 that a 13-year-old boy who buried himself in a ball pool at the bottom of a slide was killed when another child using the slide landed on the boy. Based on CPSC's equipment spacing recommendations for outdoor playgrounds and observations of children's play patterns at soft-contained centers, agency staff members expressed concern about slides that exit into ball pools and the mountain climbing apparatus located in the ball pool.

In response to these concerns, several major manufacturers have agreed to stop installing the climbing apparatus in ball pools and will separate the slides from the ball pools. Discovery Zone, which owns and manufactures 50 percent of the pay-for-play market, has agreed to make these changes to its playgrounds.

"Parents, manufacturers, and CPSC all want the same thing for kids -- we want them to have fun and play safely," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown. "I commend the Soft Contained Play Equipment manufacturers who have worked with CPSC to make their playgrounds safer."

Nationwide, there are over 7,000 free SCPE play centers at fast food restaurants and approximately 600 SCPE pay-for-play centers.

For a copy of the Soft Contained Playground Report or the Soft Contained Play Equipment Checklist, please call (800) 638- 2772, or write to CPSC, Washington, DC 20207.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Soft Contained Play Equipment Safety Review

Executive Summary

Soft Contained Play Equipment (SCPE) is a new type of playground characterized by plastic tubes for children to crawl through, ball pools, climbing nets, slides and padded floors. In the past five years, SCPE has become increasingly popular, and can be found in fast food and family restaurants, theme parks and shopping malls. Children who are less than two years old up to teenagers and adults play in SCPE.

Between May and October 1995, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff conducted a review of the safety issues for SCPE. Based on the design, layout and use of SCPE, the staff made the following observations in its review:

-- The equipment design minimizes falls and injuries that can result from falls.

-- Adult supervision is critical to ensure that children are in the age-appropriate areas and are using the equipment properly and within their physical abilities.

-- Slides that exit into ball pools and climbing equipment such as the mountain climb, located in these ball pools are of some concern since children bury themselves under the balls. If a slide exits into a ball pool, a child playing in front of the exit could get struck. A child jumping off of the mountain climb could collide with a child playing at the base of the mountain.

-- Routine maintenance is important to ensure the safety of the equipment

The staff believes that a properly supervised and maintained SCPE is a safe alternative to traditional playgrounds. Most of the injuries in traditional outdoor playgrounds are due to falls from the equipment. Padded floor surfaces and equipment that contains the user inside a structure minimize injuries due to falls. Adult supervision is critical to ensure the proper use of the equipment, and to prevent infants and toddlers from mixing with older children. If children of different ages play in the same area, the younger, smaller children are exposed to potential collisions and rougher play not present while playing with children of the same age. This report concludes with a Safety Checklist a consumer can use to help assure the safe use of SCPE.