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Review of Case Materials
Reviews records, documents, testimony, data, and other relevant materials and consults with counsel regarding technical issues related to the matter.
Provide Expert Analysis
Applies specialized knowledge and experience to evaluate the technical or professional issues involved.
Form Expert Opinions
Develops independent, supportable opinions based on the available evidence and relevant standards.
Prepare Expert Reports
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A suitably qualified playground safety expert can examine the playground as an integrated play environment rather than looking only at the component involved in an incident. Relevant evidence may include equipment type and configuration, age designation, fall heights, use zones, protective surfacing, openings, projections, barriers and guardrails, installation, accessibility, inspection history, maintenance, photographs, and incident documentation. The current ASTM F1487-25 specification addresses public playground equipment for children generally ranging from ages 2 through 12 and includes requirements relating to equipment, layout, installation, structural integrity, maintenance, and use zones. CPSC's current Public Playground Safety Handbook also addresses hazards such as falls, entrapment, entanglement, protrusions, surfacing, and equipment layout.
Protective surfacing is evaluated in relation to the equipment's fall height and use zone, as well as the type, thickness, condition, installation, displacement, compaction, contamination, and maintenance of the surfacing material. CPSC's 2025 Public Playground Safety Handbook describes shock-absorbing protective surfacing beneath and around elevated equipment as an important factor in reducing the likelihood of life-threatening head injuries from falls. ASTM F1292-22, the current active impact-attenuation specification, establishes performance requirements for surfacing within playground-equipment use zones and evaluates performance in terms including critical fall height, g-max, and Head Injury Criterion. ASTM cautions that actual installed-surface performance can be affected by factors such as aging, moisture, maintenance, compaction, loss of thickness, temperature, and contamination. Compliance with a surfacing test does not establish that an injury could not occur.
Inspection and maintenance records can help establish whether a condition existed before an incident, whether it had previously been identified, how frequently the playground was inspected, what corrective work was performed, and whether equipment or surfacing changed afterward. Potential issues can include loose or missing components, damaged equipment, displaced surfacing, deterioration, exposed footings, protrusions, openings, drainage problems, worn components, or conditions requiring equipment to be taken out of service. NRPA's current CPSI exam content outline specifically addresses inspection frequency, corrective action, maintenance, taking equipment out of service, documentation, hazard prioritization, and site-history records. CPSC likewise recommends regular checks to ensure that playground equipment and protective surfacing remain in good condition.
Prepares clear, well-supported expert reports outlining methodology, analysis, findings, and opinions.
Provide Deposition Testimony
Explains findings and opinions under oath and responds to questioning during deposition testimony.
Testify in Court
Presents specialized findings and opinions clearly to judges, juries, arbitrators, or other decision-makers.
Potentially relevant sources include CPSC guidance, ASTM playground standards, accessibility requirements, manufacturer instructions, project specifications, owner policies, inspection procedures, and state or local requirements applicable to the particular playground. As of September 2026, important current ASTM standards include: ASTM F1487-25, public playground equipment; ASTM F1292-22, impact attenuation of playground surfacing; ASTM F1951-21, accessibility performance of playground surface systems; ASTM F2075-26, engineered wood fiber used as playground safety surfacing. An important legal distinction is that the 2010 ADA Standards reference specific older ASTM editions for certain play-area surfacing requirements, including F1951 and F1292. The current ASTM edition should therefore not automatically be substituted for the edition incorporated into a particular regulation. The applicable legal and technical framework depends on the facility, construction or alteration date, jurisdiction, contract, and issue presented. CPSC also expressly states that its Playground Safety Handbook contains guidelines rather than mandatory rules and is not the sole method for reducing playground hazards.
Useful materials may include playground plans, equipment specifications, manufacturer installation instructions, age-designation information, surfacing specifications and test reports, installation records, accessibility documentation, inspection schedules, inspection reports, maintenance and repair records, work orders, photographs, video, complaints, incident reports, prior injury records where relevant, recall information, site-history files, and communications concerning equipment or surfacing conditions. When equipment dimensions, surfacing depth, an opening, a damaged component, or another physical condition is disputed, photographs and measurements obtained before repair, replacement, redistribution of loose-fill surfacing, or other alteration can be particularly important.
