Important Consumer Information Sheet
The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there are more than 200,000 playground
related injuries involving children each year. Injuries involving this hazard pattern tend to be among
the most serious of all playground injuries and have the potential to be fatal, particularly when the
injury is to the head. The surface under and around playground equipment can be a major factor in
determining the injury-causing potential of a fall. It is self evident that a fall onto a shock absorbing
surface is less likely to cause a serious injury than a fall onto a hard surface. Playground equipment
should never be placed on hard surfaces such as concrete or asphalt and while grass may appear to
be acceptable it may quickly turn to hard packed earth in areas of high traffic. Shredded bark, mulch,
wood chips, fine sand or fine gravel are considered to be acceptable shock absorbing surface when
installed and maintained at a sufficient depth under and around playground equipment. Table below
lists the maximum height from which a child would not be expected to sustaina life-threatening head
injury in a fall onto four different loose-fill surfacing materials if they are installed and maintained at
depths of 6” (15.3 CM), 9” (22.9 CM), and 12” (30.5CM).
FALL HEIGHT IN FEET FROM WHICH A LIFE THREATENING HEAD INJURY WOULD NOT BE EXPECTED
TYPE OF MATERIAL
6" (15.3 CM) DEPTH
9" (22.9 CM) DEPTH
12" (30.5 CM) DEPTH
Double Shredded Bark Mulch
6" (15.3 CM)
10" (25.4 CM)
11" (27.9 CM)
Wood Chips
6" (15.3 CM)
7" (17.8 CM)
12" (30.5 CM)
Fine Sand
5" (12.7 CM)
5" (12.7 CM)
9" (22.9 CM)
Fine Gravel
6" (15.3 CM)
7" (17.8 CM)
10" (25.4 CM)
However, it should be recognized that all injuries due to falls cannot be prevented no matter what
surfacing material is used. We recommend that a shock absorbing material should extend a minimum
of 6ft in all directions from the perimeter of stationary equipment such as climbers and slides.
However, because children may deliberately jump from a moving swing, the shock absorbing material
should extend in the front and rear of a swing a minimum distance of 2 times the height of the pivot
point measured from a point directly beneath the pivot on the supporting structure.
This information is intended to assist in comparing the relative shock-absorbing properties of various
materials. No particular material is recommended over another. However, each material is only
effective when Properly maintained. Materials should be checked periodically and replenished to
maintain correct depth as determined necessary for your equipment. The choice of a material
depends on the type and height of the playground equipment,the availability of the material in your
area and its cost.
Note: The maximum fall height for this product is 6 feet. The minimum ground clearance between the
bottom of the suspended plays and the playing or ground service must be 8 inches.
8"
This information has been extracted from the CPSC publication on "Playground Safety". You can
obtain more information by sending a postcard to the: Office of public Washington D.C. 20207
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