Tag: safety surfacing

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Playground Safety Playground Safety Surfacing

Does Your Playground Surfacing Lack Shock Absorbency?

An example of wooden mulch playground surfacing

Playground surfacing is one of the most important parts of a play space. Why? Because when kids fall they can get scrapes, cuts, bruises and, in serious cases, broken bones. However, with the right surface, you can help reduce the amount of damage done to a child who falls on the playground.

Playground Surfacing Types

All playground surfacing has a percentage of shock absorbency, some more than others. For example, concrete has a very poor ability to absorb shock waves from children who fall, resulting in more intense injuries. In contrast, rubber and wooden mulch have very high shock absorbency abilities. As a result, children who fall suffer less damage because most of the impact is absorbed into the surface.

Rubber Mulch

An example of multi-colored rubber mulch playground surfacing
Multi-colored rubber mulch playground surfacing.

Rubber mulch is made of shredded recycled rubber that will not freeze in the winter, absorb water, or sustain the growth of mold or fungus. Also, it does not attract bugs or emit odors and requires little maintenance over time.

Rubber mulch exceeds all of the safety requirements put in place by the ASTM, IPEMA and CPSC organizations and is ADA accessible. Finally, this surface is a great shock absorbent because of its material. Rubber has a large elasticity component, which allows it to compress when fallen on and spring back. This lessens a child’s fall because when the surface material is compressed it absorbs the impact.

Wood Mulch

An example of wooden mulch playground surfacing
Wooden mulch playground surfacing.

Much like rubber mulch, wooden mulch is also a fantastic shock absorbent. Wooden mulch is composed of 100 percent natural fibers and does not contain any chemicals or artificial components. This mulch is not the same as your garden mulch though. Garden mulch is usually dyed different colors for an aesthetic appeal and can be treated with chemicals to repel pests. This type of mulch is not compressed, leaving splinters that can injure children or adults. Playground mulch has been specifically engineered for playground purposes, meaning that there are no splinters or shreds of mulch that children can injure themselves on and there are no artificial dyes that can harm children’s health. Playground wooden mulch meets all of the ADA, ASTM and CPSC surfacing standards and id environmentally safe.

Among rubber and wooden mulch, rubber tiles, pour-in-place surfaces and sand are also great shock absorbents. Some of these surfaces must have a base surface made of crushed gravel or concrete to maximize the surface’s ability to absorb shock from an impact. Concrete and crushed gravel are poor absorbents, as mention earlier, but by having these materials as a base surface, they level out the ground and provide a slight elevation for proper drainage. This allows the top surface to lay flat and become a better shock absorbent.

Learn More About Playground Surfacing

To learn more about the shock absorbency of different surfaces please review our previous blog posts:

We can refer you to our National Playground Construction Company to schedule an inspection of your playground surface and play structures. If you would like to inspect your playground yourself, please use the safety checklist provided by the United States CPSC organization.

If you have any questions or concerns about your playground surface, please feel free to give BYO Recreation a call at 1-800-853-5316. One of our professionals will be happy to answer all of your playground surfacing questions.

Categories
Playground Safety Playground Safety Surfacing

Safety Surfacing Details You May Not Know About

Laying the right safety surfacing at your playground area can be a lot harder than you think. You can’t just put down a couple bags of sand or mulch and say your playground is safe.

First, research surface materials and find out what the requirements are for surfacing your play space. Then you can provide proper safety surfacing throughout your playground. Lucky for you, you can find all of that information right here on our blog.

Safety Surfacing Options

Let’s start with your options. According to the CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety, there are two types of safety surfacing: unitary and loose-fill. The right surfacing for your playground will depend on many factors such as:

  • How much you would like to spend on safety surfacing. (This includes upfront cost as well as cost of maintenance.)
  • Playground use frequency and by how many children.
  • Site conditions like drainage and climate.
  • You know your total playground budget.
  • You’re interested in a long-term warranty.

Safety surfacing must be IPEMA tested AND approved in order to be compliant for playground use. Your surfacing should also allow your playground to be accessible to those with disabilities in accordance with ADA standards.

Unitary Surfacing

An example of poured-in-place safety surfacing.
Poured-in-place, rubber safety surfacing.

Unitary Safety Surfacing is durable, long lasting, and more flexible than traditional surfacing. Unlike loose fill, there is no displacement so daily or weekly maintenance is minimal.

To start, unitary surfacing materials are held in place by a binder that may be installed at the playground site, such as rubber mats, tiles and Poured-in-Place (PIP) material. Unitary surfaces are cured after installment to form a shock-absorbing surface. Curing after installment is strongly recommended to avoid discoloration and roughness.

The most common and versatile type of unitary surfacing is PIP. This is installed over asphalt, concrete, or crush stone, making it great for spare parking lot space. It’s also the most customizable option and does not require any borders.

On the other hand, rubber tiles offer a lower maintenance option for unitary surfacing and are especially great for facilities with indoor playgrounds. Also, maintenance is very simple and low cost with Rubber Tiles. Repairs are simple as you need only remove and replace the damaged tile.

Loose-Fill Surfacing

A shot of wood mulch playground surfacing
Wood mulch safety surfacing.

Loose-fill safety surfacing is a cost-effective safety surfacing for any facility that is looking for a high rated, affordable option. Additionally, it’s the most common playground surfacing used in the United States. These materials are loose bark, shredded, or chipped, and typically made of engineered wood fiber or recycled tires. This mulch is not like the mulch you toss in your garden though.

Playground mulch is specifically for outdoor play areas. Unlike garden mulch, playground mulch is compacts together, eliminating splinters and maximizing shock absorbency. Other loose-fill materials are sand, pea gravel and rubber mulch. Out of all surfacing options, Rubber Mulch provides one of the best impact attenuation ratings through IPEMA.

Loose-fill materials compress about 25 percent over time due to use and weathering, so it is important to consider this when filling your surface. For example. if it’s required to have nine inches of fill, then your initial fill should be 12 inches. This will account for the weathering and compaction over time. Therefor, although loose-fill surfacing is cheaper up front, it can cost more money over time.

Activity displaces the fiber and requires regular raking to be turned back into place. This is especially true in heavy use areas such as below swings and at the base of slides.

According to PlaygroundSafety.org, “equipment height influences the ability of a surface to provide protection in the event of a child’s fall. Research has shown equipment more than 5 feet high more than doubles the probability of injury. “

Safety Surfacing Shock Absorbency

Of course, both of these safety surfacing options have one important factors in common: shock absorbency. On a playground, shock absorbency may be the most important safety factor.

It’s inevitable that children fall, trip, and stumble on the playground. The more shock absorbency a surface has, the more cushion there is for fallen children. This helps lessen the impact of falls, preventing serious injuries and in some cases death.

Finally, all safety surfacing must have a three to six inch base ground made out of gravel and must comply to the ATSM F1292 standards. Having a base ground allows for proper drainage and helps your desired surface perform better.

Learn More About Safety Surfacing

For more information about surfacing or the importance of shock absorbency on the playground, please feel free you give us a call at 1-800-853-5316. One of our certified professionals will be happy to help you choose the best surface for your play space. We can also schedule an inspection or installment of your surfacing for you!

Additionally, we recommend you review pages 8-11 of the CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety to learn more about safety surfacing.

Categories
Playground Safety Playground Safety Surfacing

Safety Surfacing Maintenance Best Practices for Playgrounds

example-of-poured-in-place-surfacing

Using proper safety surfacing to help avoid child injuries is the number one priority for BYO Recreation. Therefor, for Playground Safety Week, we want to provide you with a checklist of things to examine on your playground surface, so you can ensure your children are safe while playing.

Safety Surfacing Types

Loose Fill

Example of loose fill wooden mulch safety surfacing
Loose fill wooden mulch safety surfacing.

If you have a rubber or wooden mulch safety surfacing, you want to check its levels regularly. Over time, your mulch will become compact from children running and playing, children will pick the mulch up and toss it about, kids will even digs holes in the ground, which buries your mulch under dirt. Making sure that your mulch level is good keeps children safer because it keeps your ground level, it protects kids from tripping on any underground objects and it keeps kids from major injuries or infections that improper safety surfacing, like a hard dirt ground, can cause.

Unitary

Example of unitary poured-in-place safety surfacing
Unitary poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing.

Rubber tiled or poured-in-place safety surfacing is much more durable and lasting than mulch surfaces, but even these should be checked from time to time. Tiled surfaces can be pulled up by determined children or have dangerous objects wedged between the cracks. Over time, the tiles may even shift slightly making gaps that kids can trip on. Poured-in-place surfaces are a little more durable than tiled surfaces, but still have some risks. After years of wear and tear, your surface can become thin. This can cause kids to fall on harder ground or trip from an uneven surface. If you inspect your surfaces once a year for these issues, you can keep your kids safe during playtime.

Safety Surfacing Borders

example-of-playground-borders-for-loose-fill-surfacing
Playground borders for loose-fill surfacing.

It’s also a good idea to border your play space with BYO Recreation safety surfacing playground borders. Bordering your playground will designate where the children can play and where they may be out of sight from supervisors. This is also a great way to contain your playground mulch.

For more tips on how to inspect your playground for safety, check back here throughout the month of May 2013 and remember to inspect your playground during Playground Safety Week (April 21-27)! If you would like more information about your surface safety, or would like assistance fixing your playground problems, give us a call at 1-800-853-5316 and one of our associates, will be happy to help you determine your playground issue and select the best product to fix your problem.

To learn more about playground safety, please review the Public Playground Safety Handbook, and to obtain a playground safety checklist please refer to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Public Playground Safety Checklist.