5
IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION SHEET
The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that about 200,000 injuries occurred from falls from
playground equipment; which requires hospital emergency treatment. Injuries from falling tend to be the most
serious of all playground injury, and it may be potentially fatal; especially when it is a head injury. The ground
surface under the playground equipment can be an important factor in determining the injury causing potential of a
fall. A fall onto a shock absorbing surface is less likely to cause serious injury in comparison to a fall onto a non
shock absorbing hard surface. Never place playground equipment on hard surface such as concrete, asphalt, rocks,
grass may appear to be acceptable, but in heavy traffic area, it may quickly turn into hard packed earth. Fine sand,
wood chips, shredded bark are acceptable shock absorbing surface, when installed at a sufficient depth under the
playground equipment, it must be maintained properly under and around the perimeter of playground equipment.
Table below lists the maximum height from which a child would not be expected to sustain a
life-threatening injury to the head, when falling onto the loose fill surface materials, provided that
these materials are installed and maintained at 6, 9 and 12 inches deep. However, consumers should
recognize that no matter what type of surface material is used, it can not prevent all injuries due to
falls.
FALL HEIGHT IN FEET FROM WHICH
A LIFE THREATENING HEAD INJURY WOULD NOT BE EXPECTED
MATERIAL
6INCH DEPTH
9INCH DEPTH
12INCH DEPTH
Double shredded bark mulch
6
10
11
Wood Chips
6
7
12
Fine Sand
5
5
9
We recommend that surfacing material as per table above should extend a minimum of 6ft in all direction from the
perimeter of the playground equipment. In certain cases, a child may deliberately jump from a moving swing.
Therefore, any shock absorbing material should extend in the front and rear of swing a minimum of 2 times the
height of the pivot point; this height is determined by measuring from a point directly beneath the pivot on the
supporting structure.
Please note this information is intended to assist in comparing the relative shock-absorbing properties of various
materials. No particular material is recommended over another. Every material is only effective when properly
maintained. Material should be maintained and replenished periodically after inspection by user, to maintain the
correct depth necessary for your equipment.
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.
