“A bucket swing has to be 24 inches off the ground,” said Jones. ” A belt seat has to be 12 inches. There is supposed to be 72 inches of use space between equipment. There’s a lot of details and information that we have to know.”.

Jones is one of fewer than 80 certified playground safety inspectors in the State of Iowa. Of those 80, 50 work for playground manufacturers or installers, making Jones one of a small group from municipal entities.

“I use my certification to inspect all of the city playgrounds and ensure that all of the playground equipment is safe and in working order,” said Jones.

The testing to become nationally certified is rigorous, according to Jones, who said they must learn to use various equipment for testing on playgrounds including head and torso probes which are used to see if a child’s body can pass through various obstructions. During the certification process, three different gauges are also used to check for eye, head, or body protrusions and entanglement hazards, such as a bolt sticking out too far that might injure or impale.

“It’s good for people here in the city to know that there’s someone in our area that is knowledgeable and certified in this,” said Jones. “It’s peace of mind to know that someone is looking out for possible hazards and for the safety of children.”

Jones has inspected city playgrounds and equipment checking for potential equipment issues, protrusions, and even using the probes and gauges to ensure that none of the equipment will harm a playing child.

“Everything is in good working order,” said Jones. “For example, using the head and torso probes, if the torso goes through but the head doesn’t, that’s called an entanglement and that’s a possible choking hazard. All of the city’s playgrounds have been fine, but we still go through and check them to make sure. I want parents and guardians to have that peace of mind.”