A proper playground surface is one of the most important factors in reducing injuries and the severity of those injuries. The surface under the playground equipment should be soft enough and thick enough to soften the impact of a child’s fall.
Today, safety experts recommend “softer” playground surfacing options, which serve to absorb some of the impact by serving to cushion the child’s fall. The proper playground surface can dramatically improve playground safety.
One increasingly commonplace type of playground surface is made of rubber. Rubber not only cushions impact, but it also reduces slips and falls, thereby enhancing playground safety by leaps and bounds.
Rubber Crumb & Pour-in-Place
There are two basic styles of rubberized playground surfacing
- Rubber Crumb, also called rubber mulch or loose fill rubber surfacing, which is comprised of small grains of free-floating rubber particles.
- Pour-in-Place or unitary rubber playground surfacing is rather similar to rubber track material. It’s poured into forms while warm and it fuses into a flexible rubber surface that cushions impacts and reduces the risk of suffering serious injury.
Rubber tiles are also used in some cases to create a solid rubber playground surface.
Wood fiber playground surface is another safe and economical option for improving playground safety. It’s important to note that this is different from bark mulch; it’s a higher quality fiber that’s designed to cushion impacts and enhance playground safety.
At May Recreation, we offer different playground surface types, which serve to improve the safety of these recreational areas. We have rubberized surfacing and wood fiber surfacing, which are both ideal for a range of settings, such as church playgrounds,schools, parks, day care centers and beyond.
To learn more about May Recreation’s playground safety surfaces, call 800-964-6301 or click here to get in touch with your local sales rep.
