Instructions / Assembly

Issued/Revised: 07/17/14
GENERAL COMMERCIAL PLAYGROUND SAFETY GUIDELINES
uPLAY TODAY
800.458.5872
www.ultraplay.com
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Maintaining your playground equipment and its surrounding area is essential to minimizing the risk
of injury to users as well as maximizing its useful lifespan. UPlayToday STRONGLY recommends
that you follow these Safety Guidelines in conjunction with conducting periodic maintenance
inspections using the accompanying Playground Maintenance Checklist.
When installing your playground, always consider local conditions. Good common sense works
hand-in-hand with the instructions.
LOCATING YOUR PLAY STRUCTURE:
Comply with the following when choosing the location for your new equipment: Equipment
shall be positioned to eliminate conflicting traffic patterns. As a general rule, allow at least 72" of free
space around the entire structure, EXCEPT for slide exits, which require a distance X equal to the
highest point of the sliding surface with a minimum of 72" and maximum of 96" from the edge of the
slide. (exampe: a Wave Slide from a 72" deck requires 72" of clear space with resilient surfacing in
front of its exit.) Swings must have a minimum Use Zone in each direction of twice the swing beam
height. This minimum area should be filled with the appropriate resilient surface material. Read further
for resilient surfacing recommendations.
If your equipment includes any metal slides, they should be positioned in a shaded area, or at least
be placed to avoid the direct rays of the sun.
Never overlap the safety zones of adjacent equipment. All separate play equipment must have its
own safety zone, and these cannot overlap. So, if you have an existing structure with a slide exit
oriented toward your new one, add a minimum safety zone to that of the existing slide to determine
how far away you need to be. Never install playground equipment near, around, or in conjunction
with swimming pools, ponds, lakes, or any other bodies of water.
CHOOSING RESILIENT SURFACE MATERIAL:
NEVER INSTALL EQUIPMENT ON CONCRETE, ASPHALT OR EVEN GRASS WITHOUT
RESILIENT SURFACING! A fall on a hard surface from as low as a 36" high deck has been found
to result in serious injury to the user.
According to ASTM guidelines: "Unacceptable material for use zones of play structures with fall
heights of 18" or less shall include all hard or abrasive materials such as asphalt, concrete,
terrazzo, or other materials with similar characteristics. "Other standards apply for equipment with
fall heights greater than 18".
Soft, resilient surfacing should be placed in the use zones of all equipment, as specified for each
type of equipment, and at depths to meet the critical fall heights as specified by the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission, ASTM standard F-1487 and Canadian Standard CAN/CSA-Z-614.
Your UPlayToday structure has a maximum fall height of 72".