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Choosing Safe Playground Surfacing
Many outdoor memories are filled with laughter, enjoyment, and excitement. How high can I get the swing to go? How far did I climb? We want those same challenges and memories for our children. However, educators and church leaders need to remember that playground equipment that is not developmentally appropriate or has not been maintained can contribute to serious injuries due to falls.
Statistics indicate that nearly 70 percent of all playground injuries are related to falls to the surface. An important aspect of reducing playground injuries is to provide cushioned surfaces beneath and around equipment at depths appropriate to equipment height. Surfaces such as asphalt, cement, dirt, and grass are not acceptable surfaces under and around playground equipment.
What are appropriate surfaces for playgrounds?
There are no perfect playground surfaces. Playground safety experts highly recommend the use of various loose-fill or synthetic surface materials. The selection of cushioned surfacing varies from playground to playground.
Purchasers need to ask the following questions.
* Does it meet American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM) standards and CPSC guidelines?
* Does it have a proven track record in similar climates?
* Is it readily available?
* What are the maintenance costs?
* Will it meet the playground's needs as far as durability, drainage, and accessibility?
Acceptable loose-fill materials include hardwood wooden fiber, shredded rubber, sand, and pea gravel. Recommended synthetic surfaces include rubber tiles, rubber mats, or synthetic poured surfaces.
Loose-fill surfaces should be maintained to a depth proportionate to the height of the equipment. Manufacturers should provide testing results to indicate appropriate depth of surfacing materials.
New surface materials are being developed daily to help meet accessibility needs for disabled people. Currently, the most generally accepted surfaces for wheelchair accessibility are uniform wood chips, rubber tiles, and poured-in-place surfaces. Playground planners should note that the whole play area may not need accessible surfacing. However, an accessible path should be provided to the equipment, and accessibility should be made so that play opportunities are given to all children.
Where should surfacing be placed?
Cushioned surfaces should be placed in all playground use zones. Use zones are defined as the area under and around playground equipment where children may fall. The total surfacing space is dependent on the type of equipment at the playground. In general, the surface should extend a minimum of 6 feet in all directions from the edge of stationary playground equipment.
The use zones for slides higher than 6 feet can be determined by the height of the slide. For example, a 7-foot slide should have 7 feet of surfacing extending beyond the exit of the slide. The maximum amount of surfacing for the end of any slide is 8 feet.
The use zones for swings are twice the height of the pivot or swing hanger in front and in back of the swing seats. For example, if the hanger pivot height is10 feet, the use zone must be 20 feet in front and 20 feet in back of the swing structure. Surfacing should also extend 6 feet to each side of the swing.
What maintenance needs do surfacing materials have?
Maintenance costs and needs of surfacing materials vary. Loose-fill surfacing materials such as wood chips, sand, pea gravel, and shredded rubber have a lower initial cost, but tend to have higher maintenance needs.
In high-use areas, loose materials may need to be raked daily or tilled periodically to loosen compaction and replace materials that have been pushed away. Loads of loose material may need to be trucked in on an annual or semi-annual basis to keep the surface at an appropriate depth.
Synthetic materials such as rubber tiles and pour-in-place rubber also have maintenance needs. Repairs may need to be made to gouges, burns, and loose areas. Synthetic materials also may need to be swept frequently to prevent sand, dirt, rocks, or other loose materials from becoming a slipping hazard.
All surfacing material should provide good drainage. Drainage problems can cause inaccessibility and slipping hazards.
This information is courtesy of the National Program for Playground Safety, www.playgroundsafety.org.
Product Roundup
Progressive Design
PD Play Pad rubberized safety surfacing from Progressive Design Playgrounds offers a great surfacing option for your playground. Customizable, made-to-order patterns, or all one color, it is your choice. This highly durable rubberized surfacing offers a great value for your dollar with minimal maintenance costs and long-term use. The company’s network of playground consultants will work with you to design the perfect PD Play Pad to go with your church’s playground.
www.pdplay.com
EnduraSafe from Advanced Ground Care
Jumping from the top of the slide, falling off the monkey bars – when children play, there will always be injuries, but using EnduraSafe rubber ground cover will reduce both the number and severity of those mishaps. It is non-toxic, has no splinters, and won’t stain skin or clothing. It won’t blow away or wash away, and it is warranted against fade and total color loss for eight years. Whether you choose natural or bright colors, Endura is a long-lasting, low-maintenance choice that is cost effective in the long run.
www.advancedgroundcare.com
EnvyLawn
EnvyLawn artificial grass is an ideal safety surface for all types of playgrounds and play areas. EnvyLawn is an environmentally friendly artificial grass that is 100 percent recyclable when purchased with the company’s Duraflo backing, and is customizable to fit the needs of any playground. EnvyLawn is a unitary safety surface that will not wash away or migrate and with installation systems that meet up to 12 feet fall height ratings. EnvyLawn provides a beautiful, natural looking playground surface that promises to be soft, yet durable for even the most elaborate playgrounds. EnvyLawn is a quality brand of Challenger Industries.
www.envylawn.com
SofTILE KrosLOCK from SofSURFACES
SofTILE KrosLOCK in an interlocking modular playground surfacing system with several exclusive design features. SofTILEs unique hollow core impact pedestal provides impact-absorbing capabilities. The KrosLOCK joining system has been engineered for ease and precision of installation, as well as vandal resistance. SofTILE is backed by an industry-leading 10-year warranty that specifically includes compliance with fall protection standards (ASTM F1292). Among one of the original manufacturers of recreational surfacing, SofSURFACES is a name that is well known and widely trusted.
www.sofsurfaces.com
Unity Surfacing Systems
Unity Surfacing Systems has developed and patented a resilient product made from 100 percent recycled tires and is clean and safe to use in any environment both indoors and out. Maintenance-free safety surfacing, flooring and paver products are a double tile-mat-block with an authentic, quadruple, interlocking design built directly into the product, thus eliminating the need for fasteners, pins, or clips. The patented tongue-and-groove technology is designed to snap and hook into place, which allows a monolithic step and repeat pattern that staggers the seams and interlocks for easier drainage.
www.surfacingsystems.com
EMC’s Kid Kushion
Environmental Molding Concepts (EMC) was created with one purpose in mind: to provide safe, resilient and durable playground surfacing systems. Kid Kushion playground tiles are designed exclusively to reduce the risk of serious injury associated with falls from playground equipment. The tiles are manufactured in the U.S.A. from the highest quality SBR tire rubber mixed with colorful granules. The result is a product of uniform quality and density ideal for playground surfacing. EMC offers a wide range of colors and patterns.
www.emcmolding.com |
