The use of certain types of playground equipment have resulted in greater rates and severity of injury incidents, which has either ended up waning in demand for installation, or being banned for public playground use. A lot of the most recent changes have involved the sale and installation of climbing apparatus and equipment on public playgrounds, because use of them results in the greatest number of playground head injuries, with falls amounting to 79% of the 550 to 600+ emergency room visits each and every day in the US. 

One of the most significant changes over the past 20+ years involves ADA accessibility for playground equipment and facilities constructed or altered on or after March 15, 2012, which must comply with the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Another is the outright refusal by those responsible for playground safety to ignore data available in November 1999 which proves the current playground fall safety standards unsafe, from the very same agency (NHTSA) whose previous (old, outdated & no longer considered valid) data & analysis what these unsafe standards are still based upon. This change made effective in March 2000 resulted in all vehicle manufacturers to modify the level of safety for head trauma to achieve or maintain their crash safety ratings so valuable to them (all vehicle inhabitants!).

Other safety changes have taken place with respect to safety surfacing, and nowhere is this most glaringly present in a negative way than with Pour-In-Place (PIP), given all of the inherent rather extreme costs (initial and ongoing), significant dangers, hazards and liabilities, to which most playground operators become blind to, until it's too late and replacement prior to its expected lifespan becomes necessary. This can be due to too many inadequate damage repairs (or lack thereof), general improper maintenance, or the amount and severity of injuries or death from fall impacts (444% to 700% more likely to result in traumatic brain injury (TBI) or death for PIP vs an average rubber mulch, and ours has tested up to 100% safer than other rubber mulches!).