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REGULATION

Today playgrounds are under more regulatory mandates than ever before. Recently the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has created stricter mandates for safety of playgrounds. Within these mandates, sandbox safety has been one of the most scrutinized.

Until 2004, sandboxes covers were not needed as per government regulation.

Now, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Playground Safety Law Publication 325 all sandboxes must be properly covered when not in use. 

Additionally the National Association for the Education of Young Children has updated their Criteria for Accreditation as well. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children Standard 9.B.05  “Sandboxes that are part of a program facility are constructed to allow for drainage, are covered when not in use, and are cleaned of foreign matter on a regular basis. Staff replaces sand as often as necessary to keep the sand clean.”.

The rationale for these new mandates is that uncovered sand is subject to contamination and transmission of disease from animal feces (such as toxoplasmosis) and insects breeding in sandboxes.

According to regulatory agencies, tarps that are not properly secured or do not allow for proper drainage are acceptable.  This is a major concern of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the U.S. government.  Environments that are not properly drained, allows the insects, especially mosquitoes, to live in these areas, along with their potential harmful diseases.