Lifetime 90143, Owner'S Manual

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
estimates that about 100,000 playground equipment re-
lated injuries resulting from falls to the ground surface are
treated annually in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. 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 sur-
face 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 surfaces when installed
and maintained at a sufficient depth under and around
playground equipment.
Table 1 lists the maximum height from which a child would
not be expected to sustain a life-threatening head injury in
a fall onto different loose-fill surfacing materials if they are
installed and maintained at depths of 6, 9, and 12 inches.
However, it should be recognized that all injuries due to falls
cannot be prevented no matter what surfacing material is
used.
It is recommended that a shock-absorbing material should
extend a minimum of 6 ft. in all directions from the perim-
eter 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.
*This information has been extracted from the CPSC publications “Playground Surfacing--Technical Information Guide” and “Handbook for
Public Playground Safety.” Copies of these reports can be obtained by sending a postcard to the: Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission, Washington, D.C., 20207 or call the toll-free hotline: 1-800-638-2772.
***This data is from tests conducted by independent testing laboratories on a 6-inch depth of uncompressed shredded tire samples produced
by four manufacturers. It is recommended that persons seeking to install shredded tires as a protective surface request test data from the sup-
plier showing the critical height of the material when it was tested in accordance with ASTM F1292.
CONSUMER INFORMATION SHEET FOR PLAYGROUND SURFACING MATERIALS*
**The maximum fall height for this product is 108 in (274 cm).
We recommend using 9 in (23 cm) of Double Shredded Bark Mulch.**
5 ft 6 ft 7 ft 9 ft 10 ft 11 ft 12 ft
-- 6 in -- -- 9 in 12 in --
-- 6 in 9 in -- -- -- 12 in
6 in -- 9 in 12 in -- -- --
-- 6 in 9 in -- 12 in -- --
-- -- -- -- 6 in -- --
TABLE 1 — Depth of Surfacing Material Required Based on Fall Heights
Material / Fall Height
Double Shredded Bark Mulch
Wood Chips
Fine Sand
Fine Gravel
Shredded Tires***
(152 cm) (183 cm) (213 cm) (274 cm) (305 cm) (335 cm) (366 cm)
(15 cm) (23 cm) (30 cm)
(15 cm) (23 cm) (30 cm)
(30 cm) (23 cm) (15 cm)
(15 cm)
(23 cm) (30 cm)
(15 cm)