PROTECTIVE SURFACE GUIDELINES
- PUBLIC PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT -
Ensure adequate safety surfacing under play equipment.
To reduce the likelihood of injuries while playing on Phunzone™ structures, please follow the detailed safety guidelines on safety surfacing are published documentation by ATSM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
Playground safety focuses on:
1. Age-appropriate design of the play equipment (proper railings, barriers, steps, etc)
2. Type and quality of the playground surface
NAEYC Accreditation criteria: When climbers, climbing gyms, slides and other play units are part of the indoor environment, the program provides safety surfacing that is rated and installed in the Use/Fall Zone as recommended by the manufacturer for the fall height of the play equipment. Furnishings such as lofts are constructed to prevent falls or safety surfacing is installed in the Use/Fall Zone
USE ZONE
Protective surfacing should cover a Use Zone which extend at least 6 feet from all outer parts of structures (including slides) designed for ages 2-5 years and 6-12 years. For smaller children 6-23 months, the Use Zone is only 3 feet. For indoor applications you can reduce the total Use Zone requirement by placing the play structure in a corner or against a wall.
CRITICAL FALL HEIGHT
For the children’s safety (and legal liability), Phunzone™ structures should only be placed on surfaces which meet ASTM 1292 Critical Height criteria. CH can be considered as an approximation of the maximum fall height from which a life-threatening head injury would not be expected to occur . The surfacing material used under and “all” around a particular piece of playground equipment should have a Critical Height value of at least the height of the highest “accessible part” of the equipment.
TYPES OF SURFACES WE RECOMMEND
- General Purpose Foam Play Mat: for indoor play - interlocking tiles - does not have a "fall height" rating
- Safety Mat: for indoor play - has a minimum 3 foot "fall height" rating
- Rubber Tile: Interlocking rubber tiles - for indoor or outdoor - has a minimum 3 foot "fall height" rating
Do not place Phunzone™ structures on hard surfaces like concrete, asphalt, hard packed dirt. As Phunzone™ playcenters are “portable”, do not place structures on surfaces which are uneven or may shift or may cause the structure to become unstable.
ADA COMPLIANCE: Safety surfaces must be wheelchair accessible.
Please contact us for more information or quotation for your playcenter surfacing needs
For other types of safety padding for corners, edges, walls - visit BOING SAFETY |
