PLAYGROUND SAFETY INSPECTOR CERTIFICATION EXAM
2025 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔Loose-fill overal pros/cons - ✔✔cheap, and easy to install, often displaced, required
routine maintenance, not ADA accessible, requires some barrier of containment, some
loose fill encourages animal usage, can hide foreign objects, and drainage is often an
issue, cannot be placed on a solid base
✔✔Examples of Unitary - ✔✔mats, tiles, poured in place
✔✔unitary pros/cons - ✔✔preferred, ADA accessible, initial cost is high, must be poured
on a solid or compacted base, no containment necessary, little daily maintenance but
can be hard to replace, easy to clean, no animal use or mold
✔✔DO NOT USE for surfacing - ✔✔concrete, asphalt, packed earth, grass (all too
dense to protect)
✔✔F2223 - ✔✔ATSM guidelines on playground surfacing
✔✔F1292 - ✔✔pertains to impact attenuation, fall height, and critical height of
surfacing/equipment
used to test surfacing materials
✔✔Testing impact attenuation - ✔✔g-max (less than 200) and HIC[head injury criteria]
(less than 1000)
always request ASTM F1292 results before purchasing surfacing
✔✔fall height of horizontal ladders - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔fall height of elevated platforms - ✔✔distance from platform to ground
✔✔fall height of merry go round - ✔✔distance from ground to place where someone
would sit or stand
✔✔fall height of seesaws - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔fall height of spring rocker - ✔✔max height of seat to the ground
✔✔fall height of to fro and rotary swings - ✔✔distance from pivot point to the ground
✔✔fall height of slides - ✔✔distance from transition platform to the ground
, ✔✔fall height of balance beams - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔upper body equipment - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔sliding poles - ✔✔distance from a point that is 60" below the highest portion of the
pole to the ground
✔✔stepping forms - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔climbers (free-standing and attached) - ✔✔highest point of foot support to the
ground
✔✔climbing nets - ✔✔holes cannot be more than 18" (2-5) or 20" (5-12) and fall height
cannot exceed 72"
✔✔exempt from fall height - ✔✔speaking tubes, sand diggers, sand boxes, activity
walls, and play house because there is no elevated playing surface
✔✔use zones - ✔✔areas beneath and around play equipment where children exit, land
from fall, and must not overlap other activity zones
✔✔F1487 - ✔✔Standard describing use zones
✔✔stationary equipment use zones - ✔✔72" around perimeter
✔✔overlap of use zones - ✔✔both structures are less than 30" there is a 72" min
overlap, if both or on of the structures is over 30" then the overlap cannot exceed 108"
✔✔crush/shear hazard small dowel - ✔✔roller slides .19" or 3/16" or 5mm dowel
✔✔crush/shear hazard medium dowel - ✔✔merry-go-rounds .30" or 5/16" or 7.5mm
diameter
✔✔crush/shear hazard large dowel - ✔✔COMMON crush/shear .62" or 5/8" or 15.7
diameter dowel
✔✔exemptions to crush and shear criteria - ✔✔chain and its method of attachment,
attachment area of coil springs, area between toprail and swinging element, and area
between lightweight moveable objects
✔✔exemptions to suspended hazard criteria - ✔✔multiple suspended components,
swing chain or cable, rope chain or cable that is less than or equal to 7" long, climbing
net structures
2025 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔Loose-fill overal pros/cons - ✔✔cheap, and easy to install, often displaced, required
routine maintenance, not ADA accessible, requires some barrier of containment, some
loose fill encourages animal usage, can hide foreign objects, and drainage is often an
issue, cannot be placed on a solid base
✔✔Examples of Unitary - ✔✔mats, tiles, poured in place
✔✔unitary pros/cons - ✔✔preferred, ADA accessible, initial cost is high, must be poured
on a solid or compacted base, no containment necessary, little daily maintenance but
can be hard to replace, easy to clean, no animal use or mold
✔✔DO NOT USE for surfacing - ✔✔concrete, asphalt, packed earth, grass (all too
dense to protect)
✔✔F2223 - ✔✔ATSM guidelines on playground surfacing
✔✔F1292 - ✔✔pertains to impact attenuation, fall height, and critical height of
surfacing/equipment
used to test surfacing materials
✔✔Testing impact attenuation - ✔✔g-max (less than 200) and HIC[head injury criteria]
(less than 1000)
always request ASTM F1292 results before purchasing surfacing
✔✔fall height of horizontal ladders - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔fall height of elevated platforms - ✔✔distance from platform to ground
✔✔fall height of merry go round - ✔✔distance from ground to place where someone
would sit or stand
✔✔fall height of seesaws - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔fall height of spring rocker - ✔✔max height of seat to the ground
✔✔fall height of to fro and rotary swings - ✔✔distance from pivot point to the ground
✔✔fall height of slides - ✔✔distance from transition platform to the ground
, ✔✔fall height of balance beams - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔upper body equipment - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔sliding poles - ✔✔distance from a point that is 60" below the highest portion of the
pole to the ground
✔✔stepping forms - ✔✔max height of equipment to the ground
✔✔climbers (free-standing and attached) - ✔✔highest point of foot support to the
ground
✔✔climbing nets - ✔✔holes cannot be more than 18" (2-5) or 20" (5-12) and fall height
cannot exceed 72"
✔✔exempt from fall height - ✔✔speaking tubes, sand diggers, sand boxes, activity
walls, and play house because there is no elevated playing surface
✔✔use zones - ✔✔areas beneath and around play equipment where children exit, land
from fall, and must not overlap other activity zones
✔✔F1487 - ✔✔Standard describing use zones
✔✔stationary equipment use zones - ✔✔72" around perimeter
✔✔overlap of use zones - ✔✔both structures are less than 30" there is a 72" min
overlap, if both or on of the structures is over 30" then the overlap cannot exceed 108"
✔✔crush/shear hazard small dowel - ✔✔roller slides .19" or 3/16" or 5mm dowel
✔✔crush/shear hazard medium dowel - ✔✔merry-go-rounds .30" or 5/16" or 7.5mm
diameter
✔✔crush/shear hazard large dowel - ✔✔COMMON crush/shear .62" or 5/8" or 15.7
diameter dowel
✔✔exemptions to crush and shear criteria - ✔✔chain and its method of attachment,
attachment area of coil springs, area between toprail and swinging element, and area
between lightweight moveable objects
✔✔exemptions to suspended hazard criteria - ✔✔multiple suspended components,
swing chain or cable, rope chain or cable that is less than or equal to 7" long, climbing
net structures
