Indiana Administrative Code
Title 470 - DIVISION OF FAMILY RESOURCES
Article 3 - CHILD WELFARE SERVICES
Rule 4.7 - Child Care Centers; Licensing
Section 4.7-66 - Playground and outdoor safety
Current through March 20, 2024
Authority: IC 12-13-5-3
Affected: IC 12-17.2-4
Sec. 66.
The specific guidelines of the most current, "Handbook for Public Playground Safety", as published by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. 20207, shall be used to determine compliance with the following safety rules:
(1) Assembly, installation, and the anchoring process shall be completed in strict accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.
(2) All playground equipment shall meet the manufacturer's guidelines for age-appropriate size.
(3) All anchoring devices for playground equipment shall be installed four (4) inches below the playing surface.
(4) The center shall maintain all equipment in safe condition and make prompt repairs. Records shall document the date equipment is known to need repair, the actual date of repair, and the method of repair.
(5) All repairs and replacement of parts shall meet or exceed original equipment standards.
(6) The center shall install a shock absorbing surface with required depth for the critical height of the equipment and covering the appropriate fall zone area under and around all playground equipment.
(7) The fall zones of adjacent equipment, two (2) feet or higher, shall not overlap.
(8) Climbing ropes shall be secured at both ends.
(9) Trampolines shall not be permitted.
(10) Wood parts shall be smooth and free from splinters.
(11) There shall be no accessible protrusions, projections, pinch, crush, or shearing points on equipment that could injure children or catch their clothing.
(12) Equipment components shall not form openings that could entrap a child's head.
(13) Guardrails and protective barriers shall be designed to prevent inadvertent falls from platforms. Equipment shall have vertical rather than horizontal pieces fill in the space below the top rail on barriers.
(14) All S-hooks shall be tightly closed.
(15) Swing seats shall have smooth rounded edges and not be made of wood, metal, or other hard material.
(16) Climbing equipment shall be designed so that children holding onto horizontal bars may not fall from a height of greater than eighteen (18) inches.
(17) Balance beams shall be less than twelve (12) inches high.
(18) Merry-go-round platforms shall be continuous with no openings.
(19) Sand, used as play space or ground cover, shall be covered when not in use or raked daily before use.
