Improving The Safety Of Playgrounds

By Author: Nicolas Breedlove
Total Articles: 32
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Children love to play on playground equipment and parents are always anxious about allowing this because of the changes of accidents and injuries that happen around playground equipment. A method of protecting little ones is necessary to ensure the safety in both public and private playgrounds. The article talks about safety measures that must be taken in creating accident free playground areas.

Whether it is an outdoor playground or play area in your backyard, safety of children is a quintessential factor that should not be ignore. There are higher chances of accidents and injuries when kids are playing on these equipment.

Playground equipment injuries can however be prevented with several measures discussed below:

Many playgrounds are filled with a sand mixture, which by itself is quite useful. However, it quickly becomes displaced in a number of spots such as the area around the bottom of slides, ladders, and other places where children jump down or slide down. The areas under swings are particularly prone to disturbance. The action of children hitting the sand displaces it, creating a hard-unprotected ...
... divot right where it is needed most.

There are a number of products in the market that can be used to cushion the area under the playground equipment, and make it safe for all. Several of these involve types of outdoor playground mats to cushion any falls. One very interesting type actually allows grass to grow through the rubber matting, and therefore makes the area very attractive as well as safe. This particular mat system is fairly complicated, but it does provide the safety required.

First, you have to create a solid but soft ground cover of sand that is completely level without any of those dips or divots in it. Once this has been accomplished, you have to add two different coverings with a special grass seed in between. The first of these secures the ground and the second, applied after the grass seed, ensures the growth of the seed, and further strengthens the base. The rubber mats must be applied very carefully, so that they meet up together, and meet up with the ground around the edge. They are attached together securely and form the new playground base.

Once laid they appear black; however, you then water these every day and soon the grass seed, which was placed below the rubber pads, will grow out through the pads creating a wonderful grassy safe playground surface. The rubber pads cushion any fall or spill to a very great degree and because they are securely attached together, the divots and other losses of ground cover do not occur. The grass may be damaged by the children's activities, but that can be easily remedied.

If you are looking for a better and long lasting option, go for rubber mulch. Most of the playground equipment providers can cover the play area with the rubber mulch, while installing the equipment. Rubber mulch has more elasticity than the plant mulch and the extra springiness provides additional safety for children.

Rubber forms the basis of most of the different types of outdoor playground mats that we have looked at. Once you have replaced your current playground base with rubber matting, you will be surprised at how much safer the children are, and how much more you enjoy taking them to the playground.

Author of the article recommends AAA State of Play for buying high quality playground equipment at competitive prices. The store also manufactures and installs outdoor playground mats that make the play area a safer place for children.