{"id":599,"date":"2010-02-01T14:28:01","date_gmt":"2010-02-02T01:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardcity.wordpress.com\/?p=599"},"modified":"2010-02-01T14:28:01","modified_gmt":"2010-02-02T01:28:01","slug":"backyard-playground-safety-how-to-choose-a-protective-surface-material","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-how-to-choose-a-protective-surface-material\/","title":{"rendered":"Backyard Playground Safety: How to Choose a Protective Surface\u00a0Material"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to safety, one of the most neglected features of backyard swing sets and playgrounds<\/a> is the ground itself.\u00a0 While something like 80% of public playgrounds have some type of shock-absorbing protective surfacing under playground equipment, only 9% of home backyard playgrounds do, according to a 2001 playground injury study performed by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). The study found that, of the approximately 50,000 injuries per year associated with home backyard playground equipment, 69% of the injuries were because of falls to a non-protective surface underneath the equipment.<\/p>\n

The most frequently used backyard playground surface options are grass and dirt, but neither surface adequately protects children against serious injury due to falls, even falls that occur from 30 inches or less above the ground. Fractures of the arms and hands, and lacerations and contusions of the head and face are the most often reported injuries that result from a child falling from playground equipment to a non-protective playground surface such as grass or dirt, as reported by the CPSC.<\/p>\n

The good news is that there are number of protective playground surface options for the backyard playground that will meet the need for playground safety. As you might expect, playground surface options range in cost from affordable to expensive, and each option has its own list advantages and disadvantages. The most affordable materials are loose-fill materials such as wood chips, play sand,\u00a0pea gravel, and recycled rubber mulch.\u00a0 Understanding\u00a0some of the\u00a0positive and negative qualities of loose-fill\u00a0playground surface materials should give you\u00a0a better idea of\u00a0the most appropriate playground surface for your backyard playground.<\/p>\n

In general, loose-fill playground surface materials are the most common choices for backyard playgrounds because they are affordable and easy to obtain from a local garden center or home improvement warehouse. Recycled rubber mulch can also be found in a variety of colors and sizes through internet suppliers.<\/p>\n

Common Characteristics of Loose-Fill Playground Surface Materials<\/strong><\/p>\n

GENERAL:<\/p>\n