Our very own Inspector Gadget

Expert Advice  |  5 years ago

He may look a bit like Inspector Gadget, but Marketing Specialist Eric Winters is actually CedarWorks’ new Certified Playground Safety Inspector.

Eric has been at CedarWorks for three years, and in that time has shepherded our commercial indoor and outdoor product lines to fruition, so he was already an undisputed playset expert, but as we embark on this new world of providing play equipment to commercial and public play spaces, with all of its specific rules and standards, we wanted to make sure we had someone on board with all the official training and testing of a CPSI, so he could work with schools, childcare facilities, resorts, and public playgrounds to answer all their questions and to help make sure they can provide children with play facilities that are safe, engaging, and fun.

CPSIs are trained and certified through the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the leading non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of public parks, recreation, and conservation. As part of its mission to bring parks and recreation opportunities to more people, NRPA provides the industry leading certification program in playground safety. Its certification program covers issues including hazard identification, equipment specifications, surfacing requirements and risk management methods.

CedarWorks is not required to have a CPSI on staff but as experts on play, we need to be sure we are up to date on all the latest standards and specifications and that we are a resource to our customers throughout the process of designing and installing their playgrounds. “Being a CPSI helps me, and CedarWorks, understand and appreciate commercial safety requirements both from the perspective of the manufacturer and the end user,” according to Eric. “It also ensures that if our customer follows our recommendations, they will be compliant with all safety standards.”

We can help a customer navigate the standards for how much space they need, what is recommended for different age groups, accessibility issues, and avoiding hazards in the play area. Having that information makes it much easier to design a playset with all the accessories like slides or monkey bars that kids love that is also as safe as possible.

At CedarWorks we believe in delivering the best possible service to our customers, and having a CPSI on our staff helps us to do that for our commercial customers.