Setting the standard: a new ASTM standard tries to answer questions raised by the explosion of aquatic play equipment.(risk management)

Interactive aquatic play equipment and spray parks are springing up everywhere--and so are questions about their use. Should they comply with the same standard as dry-land playgrounds? Do they need regulation? What about use zones and impact attenuating surfaces? Who should operate, maintain and supervise them?

These are a sampling of questions that were presented to ASTM International from municipalities, manufacturers and owner/operators. The solution was to establish a task group, which started three years ago to develop an Interactive Aquatic Play Equipment standard. Now a standard is finally ready for ballot, and while not perfect, it goes a long way toward providing much needed answers to the questions water play equipment have raised.

The standard applies to interactive aquatic play equipment located in and around re-circulated and potable water. These include swimming pools, activity pools, wave pools, lazy rivers, slide pools and spray decks.

More specifically, the standard establishes guidelines for the manufacture, construction, operation and maintenance of interactive aquatic play equipment. For the most part, it provides the same safety performance standards for the various types of public aquatic play components and aquatic play composite structures as most of the existing Public Playground Equipment standards. Similarities include standards for head and neck entrapment, protrusions, and entanglements.

However, because the existing standard does not cover all the variables interactive aquatic play equipment encompasses--the water environment, installation, maintenance, different manufacturer specifications--we decided to set forth responsibilities for owner/operators, as well as manufacturers, such as checking each attraction or device daily before opening to the public, if required by ...