2808 10TH ST 2025-03-28 - Laserfiche WebLink

The N dional Study of Playground Equipment and Surfacing The National Study of Playground Equipment and Surfacing conducted r by The National Program for Playground Safety, and published in March, 2019, sheds more light on the safety of playground surfaces. The study -r conducted safety testing on various playground surfacing materials to study injury rates at different fall heights. It found, not surprisingly, that an increase in head injuries occurred as fall heights increase. Further - study findings follow: • At higher fall heights, the playground surfacing is more likely to be found non-com pliant w ith the current ASTM F1292 standard. • Loose-fill surfaces evaluated by NPPS in the field demonstrate r com pliance at fall heights below 9 feet, w ith a marked decrease in compliance above 9 foot fall heights. • R ubber unitary surfaces tested (poured-in-place and rubber tile products) dem onstrated a decrease in com pliance with ASTM playground surfacing impact attenuation standards at fall heights above 6 feet. Recom m endations from the study include: • L im itations on playground equipment height, and stricter standards for loose-fill surfaces (sand, pea gravel, crumb rubber, wcod-based materials) above 9 feet. • L im itations on playground equipment height for rubber unitary surfaces tested (rubber tile, poured-in-place)above 6 feet. • Playground surfacing material must be adequately maintained and its performance periodically verified. • 74% of loose-fill playground surfacing material had been displaced at the time of testing and 40% of loose-fill material had deteriorated surrounding each play structure. • Of the 415 play structures assessed, 13% did not meet ASTM-F1292 criteria and close to 7% w Ere found to have inappropriate surface materials under and around the play structure. The study sum m arized that, "It is critical for ow rer/operators and consumers to be aware of playground safety, maintenance and the importance of having an .• appropriate surfacing material under and around all play structures."