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The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there are about 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 sustain a life-threatening
head injury in a fall onto four different loose-fill surfacing materials if they are installed and maintained at depths
of 6” (15.25CM), 9” (22.9CM), and 12” (30.5CM).
FALL HEIGHT IN FEET FROM WHICH
A LIFE THREATENING HEAD INJURY WOULD NOT BE EXPECTED
TYPE OF MATERIAL
6”(15.25CM)
DEPTH
9”(22.9CM) DEPTH
12”(30.5CM)
DEPTH
Double shredded bark mulch
6”(15.25CM)
10”(25.4CM)
11”(27.94CM)
Wood Chips
6”(15.25CM)
7”(17.8CM)
12”(30.5CM)
Fine Sand
5”(12.7CM)
5”(12.7CM)
9”(22.86CM)
Fine Gravel
6”(15.25CM)
7”(17.8CM)
10”(25.4CM)
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.
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 Affairs
，
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
，
Washington
，
D.C.20207
IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION SHEET
Summary of Contents for WP-505A
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