Wausau Insurance Asks School and Park Administrators to Certify Playground Safety Coordinators

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates more than 200,000 injuries and 15 fatalities occur each year on playgrounds — and that’s a significant risk for school districts and
municipalities.

Thanks to the National Recreation and Park Association, the Wisconsin Park & Recreation Association and Wausau Insurance,
a National Playground Safety Inspector Certification Course will be held this summer in Wisconsin. Participants will learn how to make their playgrounds safer and perhaps avoid the tragedy and cost of a serious playground accident.

The 15-hour training session, which includes an on-site playground visit, will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1801 Deming Way, Middleton, Wis., June 20-21. The course is pre-approved for 1.2 CEUs and will be conducted by two nationally known playground safety experts from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The certification exam will be held in the same location the following day from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The course will provide information on how to:

— identify hazardous playground equipment,
— test for protrusion, entrapment or entanglement exposures,
— use appropriate risk management tools, and
— meet legal obligations and national safety guidelines.

Anyone whose job includes playground safety responsibilities is invited to take the course. It is the only National Playground Safety Inspector Certification Course held in Wisconsin in 2005.

Costs for the two days of classroom training are $340 per person, plus $100 per person for the certification examination. Registration forms can be obtained from Edward Steele, senior loss prevention technical consultant at Wausau Insurance (715-847-8826 edward.steele@wausau.com) or by visiting http://www.nrpa.org . Pre-registration is required and must be completed by May 20.