Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to inspect playgrounds in order to assess their accessibility, usability and safety for people with disabilities. The assessment process involves interpreting and implementing the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), current Australian standards, and other applicable state and territory legislation where it exists, as well as international accessibility best practice. It involves communicating with regulatory authorities, and playground owners and managers regarding access compliance requirements. The unit requires an understanding of the concept of play and its contribution to child development.
The unit supports access audits of each station of a playground and its associated space, including areas with recreational equipment and cubby houses, areas for digging and planting activities, natural settings and water play areas. It applies to access consultants working alone or as a member of a team to complete playground access audits on behalf of clients, who may be property owners and managers; developers, architects, building certifiers and surveyors; early childhood centres and schools; and local government.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit of competency at the time of endorsement.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. | ||
1. | Respond to client inquiry regarding playground access audit. | 1.1. | Client requesting access audit of playground is identified and their authority to act is established according to organisational requirements. |
1.2. | Client requirements are discussed, clarified and confirmed according to organisational requirements. | ||
1.3. | Own competence and organisational capability to respond to client needs are determined and assessed. | ||
1.4. | Client brief for audit and authority to proceed are negotiated with client and documented according to organisational requirements. | ||
1.5. | Contractual arrangements for audit are negotiated, confirmed, documented and stored according to client, organisational and legislative requirements. | ||
2. | Prepare for access audit. | 2.1. | Copies of documentation required for audit are obtained. |
2.2. | Site access arrangements are negotiated and contact person is identified according to client and organisational requirements. | ||
2.3. | Access audit checklist suited to scale of task and site is prepared. | ||
2.4. | Required audit personnel are sourced and briefed. | ||
2.5. | Required tools and equipment are identified, sourced and checked for serviceability in line with manufacturer specifications. | ||
3. | Conduct access audit. | 3.1. | Playground is accessed according to agreed access arrangements and following work health and safety (WHS) procedures. |
3.2. | Statement of recreation opportunity spectrum is prepared and features of the playground found to be inaccessible are recorded. | ||
3.3. | Extent to which each station of playground complies with requirements for access, safety and usability for people with disabilities is determined using access audit checklist criteria. | ||
3.4. | Aspects of playground that do not meet minimum requirements of audit checklist or comply with access requirements are determined. | ||
3.5. | Strategies that address areas of access, safety and usability non-compliance are developed, including strategies for alternative means of providing full recreation opportunity spectrum for users. | ||
4. | Finalise access audit report. | 4.1. | Draft access audit report for client that satisfies contractual arrangements is prepared according to organisational requirements. |
4.2. | Feedback on draft report is sought and incorporated according to organisational requirements, and report is completed. | ||
4.3. | Access audit report and associated documentation are forwarded to client according to organisational requirements and contractual arrangements. | ||
4.4. | Audit report follow-up with client is provided as required and according to organisational requirements and contractual arrangements. | ||
4.5. | Copy of access audit report and associated documentation is retained according to organisational and legislative requirements. |
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit.
The person must also:
conduct an access audit of one playground and its associated spaces, where the playground must include at least one of the following:
recreational equipment
digging or planting area
cubby house
water play area
analyse the above playground and develop a recreation opportunity spectrum that lists all the play experiences that can be gained from that playground
develop and apply an access audit checklist for the playground, detailing site-specific criteria for consideration in audit
provide a report relating to the above audit that:
applies an understanding of the developmental role of children’s play
describes site accessibility, safety and usability, with clear links to the site-specific audit checklist criteria
evaluates playground facilities to assess if full range of play opportunities are available for children with disabilities
advises on playground compliance with legislative requirements and usability by people with disabilities
fulfils contractual requirements with client
recommends, where required, corrective actions to:
enhance playground accessibility, safety and usability
overcome areas of access non-compliance, including strategies for alternative means of providing full recreation opportunity spectrum for users.
In conducting the above access audit, the person must:
use effective consultation skills with clients and other key stakeholders to confirm and elicit access audit information
read and interpret plans of playground
interpret and apply legislative requirements relating to disability access and evaluate the provision of access in relation to those requirements
interpret the impacts of the full range of disabilities and impairments, and the limitations that each disability or impairment places on an individual’s ability to access the playground
interpret how the full range of environmental barriers impacts on people with a range of disabilities and impairments
use research skills to source information that assists in developing potential solutions to the provision of adequate access
use measurement tools in line with manufacturer specifications and record collected data accurately
apply and adhere to site-specific work health and safety (WHS) requirements.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
key requirements of the following relating to determining accessibility of playgrounds and conducting playground access audits:
anti-discrimination legislation
Australian standards relating to playground accessibility:
AS 1428 Design for access and mobility
AS 4685 Playground equipment and surfacing
AS/NZS 4422 Playground surfacing – Specifications, requirements and test method
AS/NZS 4486.1 Playgrounds and playground equipment – Development, installation, inspection, maintenance and operation
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
DDA Premises Standards
international standards relating to site accessibility
disability awareness to inform site audit, including:
range of disabilities to be considered when conducting site audit
disability-specific physical barriers to accessing site and its facilities
disability-specific minimum requirements for enhancing site accessibility
organisational requirements relating to conducting playground access audits, including:
client service standards
procedures for developing site-specific audit checklists
client privacy, confidentiality and security requirements
processes for recording collected audit data and administering records
procedures for writing and storing access audit reports
quality assurance requirements
limitations of own work role, responsibility and professional abilities with regard to above access audit
key characteristics of play and procedures for representing them in playground-specific recreation opportunity spectrum, including:
types of play: creative, physical and social
links between play patterns and child developmental stages
WHS procedures relating to playground access audits, including procedures for:
identifying hazards and controlling risks associated with conducting access audits
selecting and using personal protective equipment (PPE) required for above access audit.
Assessment Conditions
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
equipment:
PPE required for the playground access audit specified in the performance evidence
computer and software to access, retrieve, store and distribute audit-specific documentation
specifications:
Australian standards specified in the range of conditions
DDA
DDA Premises Standards
international standards relating to playground accessibility
manufacturer specifications relating to equipment required to conduct access audit
relationships, including consultation with:
diverse range of clients, including:
site owners and managers
site supervisors
developers
regulatory authorities, including commonwealth, state, territory and local government representatives
colleagues.
Timeframe:
in line with timeframe in audit contractual arrangements.
Assessor requirements
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) current at the time of assessment.
Foundation Skills
This section describes the language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills essential to performance in this unit but not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Skill | Performance feature |
Learning skills to: | maintain knowledge of current codes, standards, regulations, practices and industry updates relating to playground access matters. |
Numeracy skills to: | interpret and use ratios and scales to analyse design and dimensions of playground against access requirements and provision. |
Oral communication skills to: | facilitate discussion with clients to explore audit needs and proposed audit recommendations, demonstrating: command of language to convey information relating to the provision of access in a clear and accessible manner communication techniques suited to individual clients and required to clarify and elicit information convey knowledge and ideas through oral and visual means. |
Reading skills to: | read a range of complex texts and extract information relating to access requirements and specific site audits identify and assess information in complex text, site plans, diagrams, graphs and charts to track compliance of sites with accessibility requirements interpret building industry and playground terminology. |
Writing skills to: | write plain English audit reports that meet client requirements and detail accessibility audit outcomes that: are based on consultation with stakeholders and a detailed analysis of site environmental and physical characteristics impacting on access represent and convey the needs of diverse disabilities and impairments, as well as types of play and child development stages. |
Digital literacy skills to: | apply information technology and computer skills when accessing and preparing audit support documentation and reports. |
Initiative and enterprise skills to: | use opportunities to facilitate change for greater disability access. |
Range Statement
This section specifies work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. | |
Documentation required for audit must include: | manufacturer specifications relating to audit tools and equipment plans of playground to be audited. |
Site access arrangements must include: | access and egress points passes and security clearances timing of access WHS requirements, including required personal protective equipment (PPE). |
Access audit checklist must include: | access audit report form playground identification and data sheet minimum requirements summary sheets for playground spaces and stations, that include: individual playground stations, such as ramps, slides, climbing bars, and sandpits on-site parking, reserved disability parking, and passenger set-down zones parent supervision site playground-accessible paths of travel site access and accessible entrances site-accessible paths to and within all areas of playground required by legislation to be accessible and safe special features, such as tunnels, mazes and chimes technical requirements for access audit forms additional to above minimum requirements: drinking fountains entrances and exits external access paths fall-safe surfaces gates and doors ramps, including kerb ramps and step ramps signage stairs tactile ground surface indicators telephones toilets and showers. |
Required audit personnel must include at least one of the following: | identified audit contact site manager site owner site supervisor. |
Each station of playground must include at least one of the following main groups: | recreational equipment space associated with the station play facilities, such as: areas for digging and planting cubby houses natural settings open playing spaces water play areas. |
Requirements for access, safety and usability must include: | Australian standards relating to playground accessibility: AS 1428 Design for access and mobility AS 4685 Playground equipment and surfacing AS/NZS 4422 Playground surfacing – Specifications, requirements and test method AS/NZS 4486.1 Playgrounds and playground equipment – Development, installation, inspection, maintenance and operation safety features, including: fall-safe surfaces no protruding objects or entrapment areas. |
Access audit report | advice on compliance with existing legislation and Australian standards description of accessibility, safety and usability for people with disabilities where required by client brief, recommendations for corrective action. |
Sectors
Access consulting