Publicidad
ImPORTaNT
CONSUmER INFORmaTION SHEET FOR
PLaYGROUND SURFaCING maTERIaL
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission(CPSC) estimates that about 100,000
playground equipment related injuries resulting
from falls to the ground surface are treated
annually in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. Injuries
involving this hazard pattern tend to be among the
most serious of all playground injuries, and have
the potential to be fatal, particularly when the
injury is to the head. The surface under around the
playground equipment can be a major factor and
in determining the injury causing potential of a fall.
It is self evident that a fall onto a shock-absorbing
surface is less likely to cause a serious injury than
a fall onto a hard surface. Playground equipment
should never be placed on a hard surface such as
concrete or asphalt and while grass may appear to
be acceptable it may quickly turn to hard packed
earth in areas of high traffic. Shredded bark mulch,
wood chips, fine sand or fine gravel are considered
to be acceptable shock absorbing surfaces when
installed and maintained at a sufficient depth
under and around playground equipment.
The following table lists the maximum height
from which a child would not be expected to
sustain a life-threatening head injury in a fall
onto four different loose-fill surfacing materials
if they are installed and maintained at depths of
6, 9, and 12 in. However, all injuries due to a fall
cannot be prevented no matter what surfacing
material is used.
Fall Height in Feet From Which a Life Threatening
Head Injury Would Not Be Expected
Type of material
6 in. depth
Double Shredded
Bark Mulch
6
Wood Chips
6
Fine Sand
5
Fine Gravel
6
It is recommended that a shock-absorbing material
should extend a minimum of 6 ft. in all directions
from the perimeter of stationary equipment such as
climbers and slides. However, because children may
22
deliberately jump from a moving swing, the shock-
absorbing material should extend in the front and rear
of a swing a minimum distance of 2 times the height
of the pivot point measured from a point directly
beneath the pivot point on the supporting structure.
This information is intended to assist in comparing
the relative shock-absorbing properties of various
materials. No particular material is recommended
over another. However, each material is only
effective when properly maintained.
Materials should be checked periodically and
eplenished to maintain correct depth as determined
necessary for your equipment. The choice of a
material depends on the type and height of the
playground equipment, the availability of the
material in your area and its cost.
Note: The minimum ground clearance between the
bottom of the suspended plays and the playing or
ground surface must be 8 inches.
This information has been extracted from the CPSC
publication "Playground Safety". Copies of these
reports can be obtained by sending a postcard to
the: Office of Public Affairs, U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission,
Washington, D.C., 20207 or call the toll-free hot
line: 1-800-638-2772.
SECTION 4 OF THE CONSUmER PRODUCT SaFETY
COmmISSION'S OUTDOOR HOmE PLaYGROUND
SaFETY HaNDBOOk
Select Protective Surfacing-One of the most
important things you can do to reduce the
likelihood of serious head injuries is to install shock-
absorbing protective surfacing under and around
your play equipment. The protective surfacing
9 in.
12 in.
should be applied to a depth that is suitable for
the equipment height in accordance with ASTM
10
11
Specification F 1292. There are different types of
7
12
surfacing to choose from; whichever product you
5
9
select, follow these guidelines:
7
10
1.
Loose-Fill Materials: Maintain a minimum depth
of 9 inches of loosefill materials such as wood
mulch/chips, engineered wood fiber (EWF), or
shredded/recycled rubber mulch for equipment
up to 8 feet high; and 9 inches of sand or pea
gravel for equipment up to 5 feet high. NOTE:
Publicidad
