Building a playground? If so, perhaps the most important thing to consider homebuilder a play area for children is: "If they can, they will." If they can climb to the top of the swingset, they will. If they can jump off the tallest tower, they will. If they can wiggle their heads between the railings they will. If 12 kids can jump on a swinging bridge at one time, they will. If they can fly off the.... you get the point.

So, please look at the project you are about to build with safety in mind. Be sure edges are not sharp, fingers cannot be pinched, and swinging objects are not too hard. Above all, be sure that there is a surface that will absorb the impact of a fall under and around any objects on which children can climb. It is far less costly to build a safe play area than it is to visit an emergency room.

National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) - Located at the University of Northern Iowa and established in 1995 through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NPPS conducts research in the area of injury protection and serves as a clearinghouse for playground related safety information.

Tips for Public Playground Safety (PDF) - According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 200,000 children are treated every year in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to playground equipment. This fact sheet provides information about various types of protective surfacing that can -- and should -- be used around children's playground equipment. Recommended depths for the placement of double shredded bark mulch, wood chips, sand, and pea gravel are given for various fall heights.

Home Playground Safety Checklist (PDF) - Brochure offering a 10 item checklist to help insure that your home playground is safe for your kids. Provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) - "Membership in the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association shall be open to any firm, corporation, or individual engaged in the manufacturing of playground equipment and related products." (IPEMA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 1)

Canadian Playground Safety Institute (CPSI) - "The Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) offers two separate comprehensive professional training courses through the Canadian Playground Safety Institute (CPSI)."

A Guide to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Play Areas (May 2001 - U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board)

National Playground Contractors Association (NPCA) - Established in 1997, the NPCA is a "nationwide partnership formed to contribute to the advancement of the playground building industry by promoting playground installation as a legitimate contracting profession within the playground industry."

Treated Wood Used in Playground Equipment - Fact Sheet from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission dealing with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) wood treatment and reducing exposure to arsenic from CCA treated wood used in play sets.

CCA - Chromated Copper Arsenicals - information from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs about CCA and its use as a wood preservative.

What are the alternative types of treated wood for residential use? - information from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory about various types of wood preservatives, including: Acid Copper Chromate (ACC); Alkaline Copper Quat (ACQ); Ammoniacal Copper Citrate (CC); Copper Azole (CBA-A and CA-B); Copper Dimethyldithiocarbamate (CDDC); Borate Preservatives

Changes in Pressure-Treated Wood for Residential Construction (PDF) - a publication from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory addressing the availability of CCA-treated wood and alternative types of treatment.

Canadian Institute of Treated Wood - the CITW "serves as a forum for those involved with the wood preservation industry, from research to production, marketing and protection of the environment." The "Using and Specifying" section contains articles about CCA treated wood and the environmental concerns associated with the arsenic it contains.

California Redwood Association - trade group that promotes the use of redwood lumber for all types of projects. Find a source for redwood lumber, learn about the various grades of redwood lumber and download free deck plans and blueprints for building a bench, picnic table, shade trellis, gazebo or deck.

Forever Young Treehouses, Inc. - this non-profit organization "creates, develops and constructs handicap-accessible treehouses for people of all ages and abilities." Their first treehouse project covers 600 square feet and has a wheelchair ramp that is 191-feet long.

Barbara Butler Artist-Builder, Inc. - these custom designed playhouses, forts, castles, treehouses, and other types of creative play structures are incredible works of art.

Stiles Designs - Jeanie and David Stiles have written 14 different "how-to" building project books. Their articles have been published in well-known magazines and newspapers, and they have appeared on several popular television programs. One of their most recent projects is a Web site that features their books, as well as, plans for storage projects, children's furniture, garden projects and easy-to-build projects for kids.

Books by David and Jeanie Stiles:

• Treehouses: You Can Actually Build
• Garden Retreats: A Build-It-Yourself Guide
• Rustic Retreats: A Build-It-Yourself Guide
• Playhouses You Can Build: Indoor & Backyard Designs

Chemical Specialties, Inc. - suppliers of wood treatment technology and preservative formulations used in pressure treated wood products, including Preserve, Preserve Plus, SupaTimber, UltraWood, DesignWood, Olympic and D-Blaze.

Vixen Hill - manufactures playhouses for grown-ups -- gazebos, garden houses, pavilions, porch systems and shutters. Their high quality modular garden structures are prefabricated from Western Red Cedar and they can be assembled by most "handy" homeowners. They also sell an interesting modular porch system, which includes posts and removable screen, glass, louvered or paneled wall sections.

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association - a Vancouver based non-profit trade association representing producers of Western Red Cedar lumber products in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Their site contains information about cedar products, deck design and construction, railing designs, staining and finishing cedar, fasteners and more. A companion site, Cedar Outdoor, offers basic plans and design ideas for cedar fences, gazebos, garden sheds, arbors, and playhouses.

Wolman^® Wood Care Products - Dr. Karl Wolman invented a process for pressure treating lumber, which eventually became known as "WolmanizedŽ" lumber. In 1986, the company created a new business unit was formed, which developed various wood care products. Today, Wolman no longer manufactures chemicals for pressure treating lumber. The company has merged with Wm. Zinsser & Co. Inc., a subsidiary of RPM International Inc., which manufactures many types of specialty coatings.

Woodburst^® - manufacturers of transparent wood stains, deck stains, outdoor furniture stains, non-toxic (when dry) brightly colored "rainbow" wood stains for children's play structures, and other tung oil based wood finishes.

Check current prices by using the following link:

• Woodburst Chinawood Deck Oil
• Woodburst Deck And Outdoor Furniture Stains

Related Links Playhouse Books Playhouses & Treehouses Building Books 4 Kids Homebuilding Videos Hardware & Fasteners CAD Software & Demos Building Codes & Permits Barns, Sheds, Outbuildings Home & Garden Magazines Books & Book Reviews Fences & Gates Gardens & Landscaping Shopping Center

Instead of sand, mulch, or wood chips, consider using a 9 to 12 inch layer of washed pea gravel around swingsets and play areas. Critters don't use it as a litter box, it drains quickly, it doesn't get all over the house like sand does, it never needs to be replaced, and most importantly, it's good at dissipating the force of a fall. A wooden form will contain it and landscape or filter fabric underneath it will keep it from working into the soil.

Of course, every fall protection system has a few downsides... besides being easy to throw, pea gravel does fit nicely up one's nose and in one's ear