Playgrounds

Playgrounds

Play is essential to early development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers.[American Academy of Pediatrics]

There are many considerations that go into constructing a challenging and interesting yet safe area that promotes outdoor play, but a dominant design choice is the use of some kind of play structure ranging from the very traditional swing set to more free form playscapes. Along with these structures comes the risk of falls and therefore the need for impact attenuation surfaces to reduce the risk of injury sustained from a fall. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission report for the period of 2009 - 2014, of reported injuries, 17% involved falls. This was the second largest contributor to reported injuries behind only equipment failure.

Weaver Mulch provides our IPEMA certified Safe Cover product to address this need. Safe Cover is certified by TÜV SÜD America through the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) to meet ASTM F1292 (Section 4.2) and ASTM F2075.

While certification represents an important step in ensuring a safe installation, compliance with the following procedures during installation and use is also critical in achieving this goal. 

1. Clear the playground area of all sod, vegetation, rocks, or debris. Simply burying such hazards under the playground mulch is inadequate and can lead to an increased risk of injury.

2. Make sure that the ground is level. Surfaces that are not level can both be less safe as a landing area as well as leading to uneven coverage.

3. Ensure adequate drainage, particularly if the playground might be used under 32°F as any water in the playground surfacing can freeze and reduce its impact attenuation properties. If possible do not use the playground under conditions that might allow freezing.

   • The best way to ensure adequate drainage is a bed of 3/4” clean gravel 3” to 6” inches deep separated both from the underlying surface and the playground surfacing by Geotextile cloth.

   • Another important component to preventing water retention in the playground surfacing is by preventing water flow into the playground area. This can be accomplished by good site selection or if not feasible, grading changes to the surrounding area to reduce water inflow.

   • Note - making sure that water does not accumulate in the playground surfacing serves the additional function of reducing the rate at which the surfacing breaks down and thus can allow longer periods between replenishment.

4.  For the best results, surround the playground area with timbers, railroad ties, or some other edging device. This both ensures that thickness is maintained all the way to the edges of the protected area as well as reducing loss due to displacement.

5.  Use Zones - covering them with a protective surfacing material is very important, under and around equipment where a child might fall. This area should be an open area free of other play equipment and obstacles onto which a child might fall. For surfaces higher than 30 inches where falls could be anticipated at least 9 feet of clearance should be left to the nearest obstruction.

6.  Install the playground surfacing material at an even depth. The mulch depth is determined by the height of the potential fall, starting with at least 4 inches, allowing 1 inch of material per foot of fall elevation. This depth should be measured and maintained after the product has settled.

   • If the highest platform at the play area is 8 feet then you need at least 8 inches of playground surfacing material or if the highest point from which a child might fall is 12 feet then you will need the surfacing material to be at least 12 inches thick.

   • If a platform is only 2 feet high, there should nevertheless be at least 4 inches of material.

   • Note: to ensure that the target depth is maintained even after settling, new installations should generally install at least 2 inches of extra product as allowance for settling. In certain circumstances settling may however use up to 25% of depth. By way of example if 11 inches are required according to the guidelines, at least 13 inches should be installed originally.

    

7. Playgrounds should be inspected on a regular basis. Make sure that protective surfacing material is maintained to the proper depth. Add additional playground surfacing material as needed to maintain the proper depth. An easy way to accomplish this task is to place tape or paint markings on the playground equipment at the required depth. When these marks are then exposed it indicates that the playground needs of additional surfacing material.

   • There tends to be significant traffic and displacement of surfacing material at the exits of slides and under swing-sets. Care should be taken to regularly rake surfacing back into place in these areas. This may also be partially alleviated by installing rubber impact attenuation mats within the surfacing material, in these high traffic areas.

These recommendations cover only selected aspects of playground installation. For additional information see the Public Playground Safety Handbook which is published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission as well as the relevant ASTM standards including F1292 and F2075