Playgrounds
Safety Surfacing
Safe Playground Surfaces
While falls and accidents do happen, serious injuries at playgrounds can be prevented with an appropriate and safe playground surface. Ideally the ground cover you choose for your outdoor playground equipment will be soft and thick enough to soften the impact of a fall.
Age range and height of playground equipment must be taken into consideration when determining product and volume required to make these playground surfaces safe. The bigger the fall, the more cushioning required to prevent serious injury.
PlayQuest works with you through the playground design process and will help you determine what surface material is best for your project and budget. There are many different options for safe outdoor playground surfaces and the decision depends on cost, accessibility, aesthetics, durability and maintenance requirements.
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View our Comparison chart for advantages and disadvantages of the different safety surfacing options for playgrounds.
Accessible Playground Surfaces
The type of surfacing used plays a large role in making the playground accessible as well as safe. An accessible playground surface ensures that children with special needs can play and gives parents with a mobility device the ability to supervise their children on the playground.
- Rubber surfacing for playgrounds is generally considered the most accessible surface as mobility devices can easily maneuver over the surface. It is also considered to be safe and impact absorbing.
- Woodcarpet Engineered Wood Fibre is the highest rated playground safety surfacing for fall heights but must be raked to keep it safe and accessible.
Traditional Playground Surfaces
- Sand and pea gravel must be watched and maintained to keep proper fall depths for safety.
- Wear mats can help keep these loose fill surfaces in place (especially under swings and at slide exits).
PLAYGROUND AND PARK ELEMENTS
Contact us if you are just starting your project. We provide grant writing services, educational presentations, preliminary designs, project budget estimates and site evaluations that will make the planning and fundraising process much easier.
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