Playground Safety Standard

Standard for Playground Equipment & Surfacing

A new NZ Standard for playground equipment and surfacing came into effect on 1 May 2005 (NZS5828:2004). This Standard applies to all licensed early childhood education centres, because Regulation 24(1)(a) of the Education (Early Childhood centres) Regulations 1998 requires all items and surfaces to comply with all applicable New Zealand Standards.

Copies of NZS5828:2004 are available from Standards New Zealand (www.standards.co.nz). Please note that the Standard is aimed primarily at manufacturers and installers of playground equipment, so is written in technical language.

Handbook

To help ECE teachers and management understand what NZS5828:2004 means, the Ministry has assisted Standards NZ to produce a handbook especially for ECE centres.

The Handbook - SNZ HB 5828.2:2006 Supervised early childhood facilities - Playground equipment and surfacing handbook - can be purchased as a hard copy or downloaded for free as a PDF from the Standards NZ website (search the catalogue under SNZ HB 5828.2:2006). A link to the Standards NZ website is provided above.

Quick guide

Available as a download at the bottom of this page is a Quick guide to playground equipment and surfacing. This document has been referenced from NZS5828:2004 and is designed to be a quick and simple guide to the key aspects of the Standard. It is not comprehensive and does not replace NZS5828:2004.

Implementation of the new Standard

For licensing purposes, NZS5828:2004 is treated the same as all the other Standards that an ECE service must comply with as part of Regulation 24(1)a. Ministry officers undertake a general inspection of the playground equipment and safety surfacing as part of licensing assessments in centres. If they have concerns, they may ask to see the certificate of compliance and/or request a more comprehensive inspection by an appropriately qualified expert to help them decide if the requirements of NZS5828:2004 are being met.

Compliance with NZS5828:2004 includes ensuring new playground equipment has a certificate of compliance and is installed and used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Inspections and assessment

NOTE: The following updated information is provided so that ECE services are clear about the scope of NZS5828:2004. The Foreword to NZS5828:2004 states:

For the purpose of this Standard, the word "shall" refers to practices which are mandatory for compliance with Standard. The word "should" or "may" refer to practices which are advised or recommended.

In light of this statement, the Standard recommends a regular inspection programme as good practice, to ensure outdoor equipment and surfacing is properly maintained and repaired as necessary. An inspection programme is not required for compliance with NZS5828:2004.

However, from a licensing perspective, it is worth noting that some form of monitoring of equipment (including outdoor play areas) is necessary as part of the centre's obligation to manage hazards to children as required in regulation 24(4).

Appendix G in the Handbook contains a number of inspection checklists that services may find useful.

If ECE services choose to use an external agency or person to undertake regular inspections and assessments of playground equipment and safety surfacing, they should satisfy themselves that these people are competent to do so. Those offering an inspection or assessment service (especially for detailed or annual inspections) should be able to produce evidence of relevant qualifications and training in inspecting against NZS5828:2004.

Training

Training on playground inspection and maintenance aligned to NZS5828:2004 is available for people working in or managing ECE centres that want to learn more about the Standard and make sure their playgrounds are safe. These courses are offered under the authority of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the University of Technology Sydney and the Australian Playground Safety Institute. Further information about these courses can be found at: http://www.cni-kindergarten.org.nz/page/cni_39.php

Certificated manufacturers/suppliers

Before purchasing new equipment or safety surfacing, services should ensure that the product has been tested against the specifications of NZS5828:2004 and the manufacturer can supply a certificate of compliance for that product.

ECE services should check with any potential manufacturer/supplier that a certificate of compliance is available before purchase (for example a certificated manufacturer may have added a new piece of equipment to its range since certification and the new product may not comply with NZS5828:2004).

Manufacturers wanting more information about how to meet the requirements of NZS5828:2004 and how to gain a certificate of compliance should purchase a copy of the Standard. Appendix D of the Standard outlines how certification can be gained, and who is qualified to undertake this process.

Bark

Centres should note that bark is one of a number of acceptable safety surfaces and is widely used in ECE centres. As bark is often bought from garden centres and landscaping retailers it may not come with a certificate of compliance (although a number of suppliers have had their products tested and can offer a certificate of compliance). The Ministry recognises this and where a certificate of compliance is not available the bark must be no larger than 30mm in diameter, and be placed and maintained to a minimum depth of 300mm (30cm).