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X.3!CONSUMER!INFORMATION!SHEET!FOR!PLAYGROUND!SURFACING!MATERIALS
11
!
!!!X3.1! The! U.S.! Consumer! Product! Safety! Commission! (CPSC)! estimates!
that! a bou t!100,000!playground!equipm ent!related!injuries!resulting!from!
falls!to!the !ground!surface!are!treated!annually!in!U.S.!hospital!emergenc y!
rooms.! Injuries! involving!this! hazard! pattern! ten! to! be! am ong! 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!that!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! c h ip s ,! fine! sand! or! fine! g ra v e l ! are!
considered!to!be!acceptable!shock!absorb ing!surfaces!when!installed!and!
maintained! at! a! sufficient! depth! under! and! around! playground!
equipment.!
!!!X3.2! Table!X3.1!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!!
TABLE&X3.1&Fall&Height &In &F e e t &F r o m&Which&a&Life&
Threatening&Injury&Would&Not&Be&Expected&
!!
materials! if! they! are! installed! and! main ta in ed ! at! de pt h s! of! 6,9! an d! 12 !
inches! However,! it! should! be! recognized! that! all! injuries! due! to! fa lls !
cannot!be!prevented!no!matter!what!surfacing!material!is!used.!
!!!X3.3!It!is!recommended!that!a!shock!absorbing!material!should!extend!
to!a!minimum!of!6!Feet!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! o f! the! pivot! point! measured! from! a! ! point! directly!
beneath!the!pivot!on!the!supporting!structure.!
!!X3.4! This! information! is! intended! to! assist! in! comparing! the! relative!
shock\absorbing!properties!of!various!materials.!No!particular!material!is!
recommended! over! another.! How eve r,! 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!cho ic e! of! a! m a t eria l! d ep e nd s! o n! th e! typ e !a n d !h eig h t! of! th e!
playground!equipment,!the!availability!of!the!material!in!your!area!and!its!
cost.!
publications!“Playground!Surfacing!–!Technical!Information!
Guide”!and!“Handbook!for!Public!Playground!Sa fety.”!Copies!of!
these!reports!can!be!obtained!by!send ing!a!postcard!to!the!
Office!of!P ublic!Affairs,!U.S.!Consumer!Product!Safety!
Commission,!Washington,!D.C.,!20207!or!call!the!toll\free!
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