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TAHLEQUAH, OK - Five Cherokee Nation Early Childhood Unit employees attended the National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI) Inspector Certification Course and took a rigorous examination on the subject matter this summer in Albuquerque, N.M.

The participants, Randall Hicks, transportation/training specialist and Lynn Davis, Kathy Webb, Helen Panther and Wanda Crittenden, all quality assurance specialists, got a brief history of the development of playgrounds in the United States, and received an overview of the development of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Guidelines and the ASTM Standard for Public Playground Equipment.

The course is designed to give participants an understanding of the application of the laws, standards and guidelines that affect the playground industry.

With tremendous number of injuries that occur on public playgrounds, the students reviewed the need for resilient surfacing materials under playground equipment. The participants were given information necessary to enable them to select, maintain and inspect resilient surfacing materials to insure that they are offering the intended protection.

Participants became familiar with the current views regarding accessibility and playgrounds. A design and layout activity provided an interactive opportunity for the participants to use the knowledge that they have gained to place equipment within a play environment. A risk reduction overview provided the basic philosophy and elements that are necessary to establish a program of playground safety, and to stress the importance of a continued comprehensive maintenance program and the benefit that such a program will have on the overall safety of an agencies’ playgrounds.

Kathy Webb

After a review of all objectives, participants took a test to see if they could qualify to become a Certified Playground Safety Inspector.

Kathy Webb, quality assurance specialist for Cherokee Nation’s Early Childhood Unit, showed off her certificate that officially makes her a "Certified Playground Safety Inspector". She received the certificate nearly six weeks after taking the test.

"The test was hard. We had to study several books they sent us before we made the trip, and once we arrived there they gave us another book to study," said Webb. "But in the long run, studying all those books paid off for me."