Categories: Recreation Soft Contained Playground Equipment Litigation TASA ID: On Thursday, March 21, 2013, at 2 p.m. ET, The TASA Group, Inc., in conjunction with recreation and playground expert Tom Bowler, presented a free, one-hour, interactive webinar, Soft Contained Playground Equipment Litigation, for all legal professionals.The presentation will define exactly how "soft contained playground equipment" differs from traditional park department and elementary school playground equipment. Soft contained playground equipment is utilized by the fast food industry in some restaurants. The American Society for Testing and Materials International's standard will be cited for the audience. The concept of why fast food restaurants and family entertainment centers place playground equipment within their establishments will be discussed.The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has developed a safety checklist for this type of equipment, and the presenter will highlight some of the more salient points. From his background in the capacity of an expert witness, the presenter will discuss actual soft contained playground equipment cases he worked on. These cases involved matters of use zones, no climb netting, protrusion within a slide, inappropriate surfacing, and dining furniture too close to the equipment. He will discuss the concept of supervision and the lack of supervision, which can lead to litigation.Specifically, the presenter covered the following: The standard specifically developed for this type of equipmentThe motivation why fast food companies and entertainment centers place playground equipment in their restaurantsThe typical fact patterns surrounding each case About the ExpertOver the last 18 years, Tom Bowler has served as an expert witness/consultant on over 300 cases for both plaintiff and defense attorneys throughout the United States. In 1966, Tom received his B.S. degree in physical education from the University of Connecticut. He earned his M.Ed. from Springfield College in 1973 and received his Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from the University of Connecticut in 1981.Tom is credentialed by two recognized playground entities promoting playground safety. He is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector endorsed by the National Recreation and Park Association, and he is certified by the National Program for Playground Safety.Previously, Tom taught elementary physical education for thirty-three years in Vernon, Connecticut. His credentials include high school coaching early in his career. He has been a director of intramurals and recreation at a Division III University. Tom was also an adjunct lecturer teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Previous Article Three High Liability Problems in the Safe Management of Outdoor Concerts, Festivals, and Special Events Next Article Wage Loss in Personal Injury Cases Print