The Perfect Playground Safety Surface for Hawaii's Playgrounds

If you are planning a playground and have done your homework, you know your safety surfacing decesion is just important as the equipment you select. You may have also learned the bad news that surfacing can absorb as much as half of your playground's entire budget.

When dealing with this information and setting your playground budget, what is important to remember is that over 70% of all serious playground injuries* involve a fall to the surface. It makes sense: In building a playground you are creating a place for children to play off the ground and it is a fact of life that they eventually will fall.

Understanding the pros and cons of the available playground surfaces will no doubt convince you that unlike my catchy title above, that there's no perfect solution when it comes to playground surfacing. However, considering the glaring safety statistics on head injuries related to falls in playgrounds, the best approach is to to pick the best surface for your particular situation and consider it the single most important safety factor in your playground's design.

Ask yourself questions like;

What is our maintenance capacity?
How heavy will the use be?
Is our environment wetter than others?
What is our ongoing budget for replenishment?
Are there cats and rodents in the area?
Is this area prone to insect infestation?
What laws are we governed by?
Who has most the laibility?

Below is some information to base your decesion on and decide which surface is best for you:

Poured in Place Rubber Surface
Safest available surface
Most expensive surfaceMost flexible in design
Requires concrete base
Lowest maintenance Must be installed by licensed contractor

Rubber Tiles
Almost as safe as poured in place
Almost as expensive as poured in place
Can be installed by volunteers
Seams are difficult to maintain
Can be repaired by maintenance staff
Cutting tiles can cause waste

Shredded Rubber
Best fall protection if properly maintained
Not available locally expensive to ship
Won't break down
Can come off on children's hands and feet
Insects don't make homes in it
Requires weekly maintenance

Pea Gravel
Doesn't compact as easy as sand or woodchips
Very hard on play equipment
Readily available
High abuse potential
Drains well
Animals can take a liking to it

Wood Chips
ADA compliant loose fill
Attacts more insects as surfacing ages
Natural look and feel
Difficult to keep weeds out of it
Can be purchased in small denominations
High long term cost

Sand
Cheapest surface available
High maintenance, can require daily attention
Has very good play value
Favorite of animals
Readily available but nobody makes it for playgrounds, it's made for cement.
Can become unsafe almost instantly in a change of weather

*Injuries on Playgrounds