Playground development: safe, code-referenced play spaces built end to end.

The fall height of the equipment above it. Impact-attenuating surfaces (rubber tiles, poured-in-place rubber, or a loose fill of adequate depth) are selected so that a fall from the highest accessible part is attenuated. Grass, compacted soil and paving are not acceptable beneath elevated equipment, whatever they cost.

Because equipment scaled and rated for older children presents hazards to toddlers (higher platforms, wider gaps, faster moving parts) while equipment for the very young is quickly misused by older children in ways it was never rated for. Separating the zones physically, with their own equipment and surfacing, is the most basic safety decision in the layout.

The clear area around and beneath each item of equipment that must remain free of obstructions, other equipment and hard edges, so that a child leaving the equipment, deliberately or by falling: does not strike something. It is set by the equipment type and its dimensions, and it is the reason a crowded playground with many items in a small area is less safe than a sparser one.

Routine visual inspection frequently, daily to weekly depending on use intensity: for damage, vandalism, missing components, loose fixings and surfacing displacement, with a detailed operational inspection at longer intervals and a full annual inspection covering structural condition and foundations. The frequency should be written into the handover, since equipment safety is a maintenance function, not a one-time certification.

The owner or the operating body: a municipal corporation, a society, a school or an estate. The contractor's obligation runs to the specification, the workmanship and the defects liability period. Safety in continuing use depends on the owner's inspection and maintenance regime, which is why we hand over a written one rather than only a completion certificate.

Public play spaces are expected to be reachable and usable by children and accompanying adults with disabilities, which affects approach paths, gate widths, level changes, surfacing firmness along routes, and the inclusion of accessible play elements. The Harmonised Guidelines for accessibility are the reference point for the built environment around the play area.

Equipment foundations designed for the loads and the soil, surfacing base preparation, edge restraint, positive drainage away from the play surface, fencing and gates where the site requires separation from traffic, pathways, seating and shade. The visible equipment is often a minority of the cost; the ground it stands on is the rest.