Safety Tips for Installing Playground Flooring
Building a park comes with many pros and cons, especially regarding safety. If the playground has even one safety flaw, you need to start over from square one to fix the issue. Here’s all you need to know on the best safety tips for installing playground flooring.
Level Out the Surface
While working on your playground surfacing, you don’t want awkward bumps rising. So when you’re constructing the park, pick a flat surface free of obstructions that may create accidents later.
By leaving bumps, you do more than create occasional disasters; the bumps leave the park looking uneven, and many can trip and fall over rutted areas.
Also, if you start out with a lopsided park, it’s better to hire a professional who can improve the surface.
When you have a firm base, you have a greater ability to adjust the flooring as you build, paving a way toward safer play areas. The smooth ground can also work with you to layout your playground’s surface.
Use the Right Material
As you make a list of options to consider, make sure you don’t include any inappropriate flooring materials. Some, like wood chips that are not IPEMA certified safe, rocks, or sand, may look nice but have minimal shock absorption. This can increase injuries when children jump from high areas or off of swings.
In addition to safety, schools are also concerned with how to maintain school playgrounds. How you clean or repair the flooring can impact costs and staffing, so it’s important to consider this when choosing the flooring. As you begin to consider the right playground surfacing to use for your playground, avoid these:
- Pea gravel
- Wood chips (unless IPEMA certified safe)
- Sand
- Artificial grass
You might consider these materials because they achieve a specific theme or improve appearance, but these surfaces don’t absorb shock. Also, they increase injuries when children jump off of playground equipment.
Instead, you need a material that’s shock-absorbent, such as rubber mulch, rubber playground tiles, or IPEMA certified safe wood chips. Not only do they prevent injury from falling, but they don’t rot like normal much, and it’s simpler to maintain.
Install With Care
When constructing a playground, you need to install pieces with care. Otherwise, you risk the possibility of accidents happening and no one visiting the park.
However, families not wanting to come to the park can be for any of these reasons. So, be mindful and avoid doing these things when designing your park:
You may not know this, but accidents happen for many reasons, such as lot size, improper installation, and hardly any age-appropriate equipment.
When you build a park, you need to ensure there’s enough room for equipment. Also, hiring experienced workers can ensure every piece is installed correctly.
And, having different types of activities can prevent children from playing on equipment that’s not age-appropriate.
Our list of safety tips for installing playground flooring helps guide you through the process of properly installing your surfacing and picking the right spot for the flooring. While selecting a floor type, ensure they meet your expectations and promote more play and avoid injury.