QUALIFICATIONS

SCOTT BURTON is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector by the NRPA/NPSI, and is also S.A.F.E. Certified by the National Program for Playground Safety. He has instructed various playground and recreation safety courses from beginner to advanced to inspectors, Child Care Licensing Bureaus, Parks & Recreation Depts., corporate managers, etc. He has been a trained instructor for the CPSI courses for the NPSI. He has been in this industry since 1981. He has designed, manufactured and installed thousands of different types of equipment and areas. He has performed safety audits at 2,769 playground sites (each site having at least one playground, some up to 6 playgrounds at one site) in and out of the USA, offering inexpensive modification recommendations. He has accepted exactly 408 cases as an expert witness to date (and turned down 375 cases, mostly due to lack of basis or being on the other side). He has been honored with the 2008 "Playground Safety Advocate of the Year" award by the National Program for Playground Safety. As prior owner of Florida's largest (and the Southeast's second largest) recreation equipment manufacturing company for over 11 years, his duties included planning, design, writing specifications, purchasing, manufacturing & installation supervision, surfacing specifications, and sales networking worldwide.
His company manufactured and installed the following;
- Playground Equipment; All types made out of wood, steel, and plastic
- Soccer, Football, and Basketball Goals, Volleyball and Tetherball Standards, Baseball Backstops.
- Trampolines
- Exercise and Fitness Equipment, Running Courses
- Grills, Picnic Tables, Park Benches, Bleachers
- Flagpoles, Litter Receptacle Holders, Bicycle Racks

This hands-on experience helps tremendously as an expert witness, auditor, and designer. Mr. Burton sold the company on March 5, 1993 to devote more time to SAFETY PLAY, INC.®, which he founded in 1988.

SCOTT BURTON;

• is a National CERTIFIED PLAYGROUND SAFETY INSPECTOR (C.P.S.I.) since 1992 (one of the first)
• is "S.A.F.E." CERTIFIED by the National Program for Playground Safety
• has been a trained instructor for N.R.P.A./N.P.S.I.'s C.P.S.I. Courses.
• is on the National Safe Kids Subcommittee on Playground & Trampoline Safety
• is knowledgeable on the standards for various types of WARNING SIGNS, and has created recreational warning (and instructional) signs and labels used by entities nationwide.
• created and designed an Inspection Tool Kit, sold worldwide through Safety Play, Inc.® and international distributors.
• has qualified for and become INSURED to perform the services offered by SAFETY PLAY, INC.® ($1M in coverage on E&O and General Liability, with higher limits available). Specify ERRORS and OMISSIONS, PROFESSIONAL and GENERAL LIABILITY coverages for your consultant
• has been accepted in courts as an expert witness in the various fields of recreation, and has testified for both plaintiff and defense since 1988.
• is an active and attending voting member of numerous ASTM committees, creating the National playground, recreation, surfacing, and sports safety standards.
• has worked in conjunction with the CPSC to create the revisions of the playground safety guidelines.
• has extensive knowledge on failure to warn, with regards to proper signage and labeling. This includes letter heights, coloring, placement, legibility, graphics, etc. He has created warning (and instructional) signs and labels for recreational uses.
• offers standard and advanced courses in playground and recreation safety through Safety Play, Inc.®
• is the AUTHOR of numerous articles on safety, and has been interviewed by the media regarding playground safety. Please call for list.
• has conducted countless safety seminars and courses
• has written specifications for Schools, Parks, Architects, etc., worldwide.
• has a business degree (A.A.) from USF.
• is Certified by the National Safety Council & NRPA "Park and Recreation Safety School" (since 1992, which is now NPSI)
• and Safety Play, Inc.® comply with the ANSI Z-34.1 standard for third party certified inspections

• is a member of Masonic Lodge #139 (as a Master Mason).
• Mr. Burton has been an active and attending voting member of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) since 1988. He has been instrumental in writing the standards for the subcommittees listed below;
  - Public Use Playgrounds (F15.29) - (interim secretary)
  - Home Use Playgrounds (F15.09)
  - Soft Contained Playground Equipment (F15.36)
  - Play Equipment for Children Under Two (F15.44)
  - Aquatic Play Equipment (F15 & F24)
  - Playground Surfacing (F08.63)
  - Playground & Sports Fencing (F14 main, and subcommittees F14.10, .15, .30, .35 and .40)
  - Soccer Goal Safety (F15.43)
  - Amusement Rides (F24 and all of the subcommittees. NOTE; no longer "attending".)
  - Sports Equipment and Facilities (F08), including;
  ---- Trampolines (F08.17)
  ---- Residential Basketball Equipment (F08.25)
  ---- Baseball & Softball Equipment & Facilities (F08.26)
  ---- Playing Surfaces (F08.52)
  ---- Natural and Artificial Turf Surfaces (F08.65)
  ---- Sports Facilities (F08.66)
  - Constant Air Inflatable Play Devices for Home Use (F15.61)
• International Playground Association (IPA)
• International Playground Equipment Manufacturer's Association (IPEMA) as an associate (consultant) member
• American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
• National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA)
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
• is a member of National Safe Kids Coalition (playground & trampoline subcommittees)

IMPORTANT NOTE; SAFETY PLAY, INC.® does not sell playground, sports or recreational equipment, surfacing, or even parts, so the work we perform for you remains free from bias or conflict of interest, and is INSURED. We DO, however, draw upon many years of PAST manufacturing and consulting experience to offer you the best specific modification recommendations! In addition, we do NOT make repairs to your equipment, not so much as a nut or a bolt. This way, we will not profit from it since it is a conflict of interest and makes it a bias service, so beware of the companies that perform audits yet still offer these products and services. "Local" companies may not provide you with the more important factors of having the expertise and experience of having WRITTEN the rules that ALL STATES must adhere to, as well as having other important qualifications. See the "QUALIFICATIONS" page and be your own judge!

We have performed services and made sales in the U.S.A. and other countries (Sweden, Canada, Singapore, Guatemala, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Virgin Islands, Taiwan, Japan, England, New Zealand, Korea, etc.). So don't be concerned about us not being in your "neighborhood" since we typically combine jobs with other clients in your area, which combines costs and in turn saves you money! Remember, we also offer FREE AIRFARE (favorable restrictions apply)!

In the USA, we have performed services and sales in the following states; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, (also District of Columbia), Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.