Introduction
Introduction
Falls and Safety Surfacing Children often learn through their experiences, even when the experience means they fall down. The leading cause of playground injuries is falls, including falls from the equipment onto the ground and falls from one piece of equipment onto another piece of equipment. Work with other supervisors and your agency to develop policies that limit risky behaviors and promote safer play. With good supervision, developmentally appropriate equipment, and proper safety surfacing, children can develop new skills and engage in developmentally appropriate risk taking in safer ways.
The surface under and around the playground equipment should be a material that is capable of absorbing some of the impact from a child’s falling body. Hard surfaces such as grass, packed earth, concrete, and asphalt are not considered to be protective surfaces. Playground supervisors
should know enough about protective surfacing to know when to alert someone that the surfaces need attention. If you suspect the surfacing is unsafe, do not allow children to use the playground equipment.
Unacceptable Playground Surfacing
Acceptable Playground Surfacing
•
Grass
•
Concrete / Asphalt
• •
Sand, gravel, shredded rubber Wood chips, shredded bark mulch, engineered wood fiber
•
Packed earth
• Other hard surfaces
• Unitary materials certified for playground use such as poured-in-place rubber, rubber tiles, and bonded rubber
Items brought into the play environment that could become strangulation hazards • Openings in playground equipment are not designed to accommodate children wearing sports helmets and could entrap a child’s head. • Items worn around the neck, such as mittens, scarves, dog leashes, long necklaces, and canteens, should not be worn. • Strings attached to children’s clothing pose hazards.
Children interacting with playmates • Over half of playground injuries are caused by children’s interaction with others. By knowing the temperaments of the children in your care, learn to be proactive and intervene if necessary. It is important to provide children Ask the children to help you develop rules that will promote safety and fun on the playground. Falls • Falls are the number one cause of playground injury. Approved safety surfacing should be maintained under and around the playground equipment to help protect from falls. with opportunities to develop valuable interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
Grass and packed earth are unacceptable playground surfaces.
Rubber tiles are a good choice for unitary playground surfacing.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) classifies surfacing materials into two categories: loose-fill and unitary. Loose-fill surfaces include sand, gravel, wood chips, shredded bark mulch, shredded recycled tires, and engineered wood fiber. Engineered wood fiber is a wood product that is made exclusively for use under playground equipment.
Table 2. Minimum compressed loose-fill surfacing depths
Inches
Loose-fill Material
Protects to Fall Height (feet)
9
Shredded/recycled rubber
10
Require children to remove helmets (unless worn for medical reasons in a supervised environment) and other strangulation hazards before using equipment.
9
Sand
4
9
Pea gravel
5
9
Wood Mulch (non-CCA)
7
9
Wood chips
10
Loose-fill materials should be maintained at a depth that will help protect from a fall. This chart indicates minimum compressed loose-fill surfacing depths as recommended by the CPSC.
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Preserving the Play Environment • Promoting the Value of Play • Protecting Children
Preserving the Play Environment • Promoting the Value of Play • Protecting Children
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