Play Equipment Safety Certification

The International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) provides and manages the safety certification process for public play equipment in the United States and Canada.

  1. History

    • IPEMA was founded in 1996 amid concern about the increase in playground injuries related to materials and construction. Since then, it has worked with major manufacturers to manage Third Party Product Certification services and playground safety regulation.

    Areas of Interest

    • IPEMA has specific standards interest committees regarding soft-contained playground equipment, surface resiliency, home play equipment, accessibility design, the use of wood fiber products in construction, and equipment for children under the age of 2.

    Standards

    • IPEMA worked with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) to create public use playground equipment specifications, called the F1487 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specifications.

    Certification Process

    • IPEMA provides and manages the certification process and records certification from manufacturers. The actual testing process for each piece of equipment is administered by Detroit Testing Laboratory Inc., of Warren, Michigan. DTL provides material and calibration certifications, as well as customer test equipment fabrication.

    Certification Standards

    • Certification standards supported by IPEMA include F1487-07; Children's Playspaces and Equipment (CAN/CSA-Z614-07); ASTM F2075-04 regarding the use of wood fiber products around and beneath playground surfaces; and ASTM F1292-04, a standard of impact for surface systems.