Rationale

The playground marketplace is seeing owner/operators and end users desiring taller structures and longer slides. Many of the requested designs incorporate changes in elevation that utilize retaining walls, embankments, and natural areas. Traditionally, fall heights of structures have been from the height of the platform or slide transition platform. This was logical when the platform was open and there was a risk of falling from the platform. The fully enclosed structures with fully enclosed slides do not present the same risk of falling therefore impact attenuating surfacing that meets the fall height of the platform should not be recommended. To safely eliminate this recommendation in these types of structures, there is a need to reduce the likelihood of climbing on both the exterior of the structures and the exterior of the fully enclosed portions of a slide.