The Australian Standards for Playground Equipment and Surfacing are an advisory set of guidelines that are not regulatory on their own, Standards are voluntary;

• They are a national recommendation on minimum requirements for best practice
• They are not mandatory for public and private play areas
• Playgrounds provided by schools and childcare centres usually have to comply with policies under the State or Territory relevant Department of Education or equivalent
• Although they are not mandatory. they may (highly likely) be referred to in court action against providers of play equipment
• They cover specific guidelines on the design, installation, inspection and maintenance 
• A playground owner has a duty of care to all users and visitors and a reasonable Standard of Care should be applied to the playground to prevent injury or loss.

There is no requirement for the public to comply with the Standards. However, State and Commonwealth Governments often refer to Australian Standards (AS) or joint Australian/New-Zealand Standards (AS/NZS) in their legislation.

When this happens, these Standards can become mandatory. In addition, AS are sometimes incorporated into legal documents, and considered as a ‘benchmark of acceptability’. 

 PSIA conducts its operations in accordance with the Australian Standard, ‘best practice; and Occupational Health and Safety Act.