As playground design becomes more creative and advanced, it is likely that there will be one or more components of your playground site that are not specifically addressed by ASTM code or covered in the CPSI handbook. This kind of equipment does pose the risk of being declared non-compliant for this reason. The best way to avoid this problem is to ask the manufacturer what they classify the equipment as and to make sure that the equipment meets the following performance criteria.
Performance Criteria
Make sure that the set is built to meet the durability requirements for whatever type of material it is made of and then make sure that the individual components of the set meet their own performance requirements. This will cover at least the most basic safety concerns regarding the safety of the actual structure itself.
Any kind of non-traditional play structure that could be classified as some kind of climber should meet the criteria that are applied to all other kinds of climbers. This kind of equipment poses a serious risk of falls and so making sure that they meet regulations is an easy way to avoid injuries, lawsuits, and problems with inspections or insurance.
There are also plenty of ASTM requirements for equipment used for platform access, so any kind of equipment, even if not directly addressed in that code, should meet the basic criteria outlined by the CPSI handbook. See our other sections on CPSI and ASTM code in order to make sure that basic safety requirements are met by all of your equipment.