A playground surface is the material that lies under and around swings, slides, monkey bars and other playground equipment. The surfaces are usually made of wood or rubber and designed specifically for aesthetics, child safety, and/or ADA wheelchair accessibility. Playground safety surfacing often involves the use of recycled rubber tire products such as poured rubber, rubber tiles or loose rubber mulch.[1]
| Surface type | ASTM 1292 protection | ADA accessible[2] | Cost range/sq.ft. | Drainage | Fall height protection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poured rubber surfacing (flooring) | Yes | Yes | High | Yes | |
| Playground rubber tiles | Yes | Yes | High | Yes | |
| Artificial turf grass | Yes | Yes | High | Yes | |
| Rubber mulch | Yes | Yes | Medium | Yes1 | 14 feet5 |
| Grass/dirt | No | Yes | Low | No | |
| Concrete | No | Yes | High | No | |
| Asphalt | No | Yes | Medium | No | |
| Gravel/stones | No | No | Medium | Yes | |
| Sand | No | No | Low | No | |
| Engineered wood fiber | Yes | Yes | Low | Yes1 | 6 feet5 |
| Wood chips or bark mulch | Unclear | No | Low | Yes1 | 2.4 m6 |
| ATP4 + foam | Yes | Yes | High | Yes | |
| Two layer system (tiles with rubber base) | Yes | Yes | High | Yes |
2 Ability to meet standards varies with installation materials and methods.
3. EPDM refers to Ethylene Propylene Monomer, a firm, yet flexible, rubber material.
4. ATP refers to Aliphatic Thermoplastic Polyurethane, a firm, yet flexible, plastic in which sphere-like particles are chemically bonded to a color-fast binding material.
5. When properly installed with a 6-in depth.
6. Optimisation of the Shock Attenuation Properties of Playground Surfaces[3]
In the United States, playground-related injuries send 200,000 children to an emergency room every year. If visits to doctors are included, the figure rises to 500,000 injuries, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. More than half of these injuries result from falls to a playground surface that can cause fractures, concussions, dislocations, and internal injuries. Recognizing these facts, many organizations, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, have issued guidelines and standards for playground surfaces.[4]
ASTM International has issued what it calls the “ASTM Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation of Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment”, which is known by its numerical designation, F1292.[5] This standard accounts for both the deceleration of the head during impact and the length of time the head takes to stop moving. The test simulates the impact of a child’s head hitting the surface from various heights of the playground equipment.
In the United States, as well as being safe, a playground surface should be firm enough to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which means it must offer easy mobility for children in wheelchairs. Meeting these dual objectives limits the number of types of surfaces that can be considered by responsible playground owner/operators. ASTM International has developed test method F1951 to evaluate compliance with the Americans With Disability Act (ADA).[6] However, meeting the ADA's requirements does not guarantee that all children with disabilities can use the playground equipment.
As the table above makes clear, some surfaces commonly used do not provide adequate protection from the effects of falling, or may not offer adequate wheelchair access. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons states, “Soil, packed dirt, grass, and turf are not recommended for surfacing.”[7] A thick layer of lush green grass, moist from recent rains, may seem soft enough. But in practice, the grass wears away and either turns to mud in wet weather or dries to a hard crust in dry weather.
In the United States and Canada the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA)[9] provides a third-party certification service enabled by appointing a testing laboratory to determine if a particular surface conforms to ASTM standards F1292, F1951, and F2075. IPEMA’s seal on a provider’s document is clear evidence that the covered material has met these tests. Owner/operators should request a copy of this certification for their own protection. Some suppliers do not offer proof of certification and mere membership in IPEMA does not mean that a particular supplier’s material has been certified. A list of certified suppliers can be found at www.ipema.org.