Playgrounds are supposed to be places where children can burn off some energy, not literally get burned. But for much of the 20th century, there were real risks associated with many popular pieces of playground equipment, including scorching-hot metal slides that often launched kids straight onto a surface that had about as much give as a parking lot. In 1975, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) began developing safety standards for playground equipment, citing an estimated 55,000 emergency room visits involving playground injuries in 1973. Equipment under scrutiny included slides, seesaws, merry-go-rounds, and gliders, ...Read More