Test the Playground Surfacing to Reduce the Injuries

Ensuring playground safety requires a number of considerations. A well maintained surfacing with appropriate material also helps to reduce the playground injuries up to a great extent. This article provides some necessary considerations about surfacing of the playground.

Jenny was playing with her friends at the playground of an elementary school. She was on the top of the geodesic dome, eight feet high from the surface. The equipment was placed technically on adjacent property of the school playground. The little girl had touched the top spot, but unfortunately failed to make balance and fell down to surface full of grass, dirt and pieces of pea gravel. She broke femurs in both of her legs and spent 3 weeks laying in the hospital with both the legs in casts. She was experiencing a terrible pain. Although the girl fell down due to imbalance, the injury could probably have been prevented with well maintained surfacing and appropriate material being used on the playground surface.

The above situation indicates the significance of maintaining the surface and knowledge about the material and policies required to make the playground safe for your child. We know that playgrounds are the best place for our children to spend their quality time playing with the kids of the same age group. That is why a safe environment is must in the playground. There are several things required to ensure the playground safety and surfacing is no doubt one of them. Here are some factors that need to be considered for decision making within the area of surfacing to ensure a safe playground for your child.

1.Suitable Surfacing: An appropriate surfacing plays a dramatic role to reduce the playground injuries. As per several studies, more than 80 % of the playground injuries are due to inappropriate surface materials. So, always fill your playground with suitable surfacing including loose-fill products such as sand, wood products and rubber products. Surfaces that need to be avoided to use under or around the equipment are cement, dirt, grass and asphalt etc.

2.Height: Height is another important part of surfacing equation. It is clearly understood that higher the equipment, more are the chances of the child being injured. There is a positive correlation between the height of play equipment and number of playground injuries. So, it is highly recommended that the height of children play equipment should not be more than eight feet.

3.Depth: Depth of the surfacing material is third element in the safe surfacing equation. To ensure safety in the playground, there must be sufficient depth of loose fill materials to absorb the fall according to the height of play equipment. It must be able to prevent a concussion or brain injury if a child falls from the top.

4.Use Zone: The use zone refers to the area where the child is most likely to fall from the equipment. To avoid the injuries, the surfacing must be contained within an appropriate area under and around the equipment. Keep in mind that the use zone will be larger for slides and swings equipment.

So, before purchasing the play equipment and installing them, keep the above factors under consideration. Check the equipment from safety point of view before finalizing. Make sure that they are being purchased from a reputable source and are quite safe for the children to use. Online mode of shopping would be the best way to buy playground equipment at reasonable rates.


This article is written by an expert who is currently associated with PlaygroundEquipment.com, a reputable online store that offers a variety of outdoor and indoor playground equipment at the best prices.