There’s no doubt that playground safety has improved over the years. Much has changed since the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued its first safety standards for playgrounds in 1981. But how exactly has safety improved? Sherri Pope, IPEMA (International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association) Coordinator, ensures that playground equipment made at Superior Recreational Products meets IPEMA guidelines.
Sherri received a mechanical engineering degree from Carroll Technical Institute in 1985 and worked in engineering for over 30 years. Starting a career in electrical power substations and moving to high-rise construction, Sherri began working for Superior in March of 1998, spending her most recent 19 years in the commercial playground industry. She worked with coworkers to start Superior’s IPEMA program and help to become a certified testing facility. Sherri has been an active member of ASTM for more than 10 years, serving on the F15 sub-committee and keeping up with the latest developments in ASTM standards. In addition, she is a member of the IPEMA Equipment Certification Committee and has served as a member of IPEMA Board of Directors since January 2013. As our expert in this arena, she explains in detail the evolution of playground safety in this Q & A.