Playing safety? The industry may be compromising the safety of children--and its own future--by ignoring existing national playground safety standards for water-play equipment.(Perspectives)

For the first time in history, the aquatics industry is getting ready to approve ASTM safety standards for water playgrounds. For that it should be applauded. But if the industry approves the standards as discussed, it also may be making a colossal mistake.

Some on the committee apparently think that water playground equipment doesn't need to adhere to the same standards as dry land playground equipment. These people argue that water playground equipment has better supervision and can therefore afford to have less stringent safety standards.

But if you, examine the reasons for the existing dry playground standards, it's clear that there is ample reason for water playground standards to be just as strict, if not more so.

Even now water playgrounds, a common addition to leisure pools, waterparks and other pool settings, typically do not meet national playground standards. This does not make sense because the dangers in water-play environments are greater than those found in dry-play settings.

Why is this the case?

The simple answer is because kids can drown in water. If children fall from a height in dry settings and are rendered unconscious, they are still able to breath. Similarly, when a head is entrapped at the base of a play structure, air still available in the dry environment. That's not always the case in a wet environment.

Furthermore, wet surfaces have a lower coefficient of friction, making slips and falls more likely. Playground safety includes surfacing below a structure to protect young users from falls, which is commonly referred to as fall protection.