Choosing playground surfaces for safety and sustainability

03/05/23

Whenever we install our playground and activity facilities, the safety of those using the finished article is always our paramount concern. We design our play facilities with as much thought put into the equipment as possible, to make the experience exciting and healthy for the users. But we also have to think about what’s under their feet too. So we’ll take a look at the best options for playground surfaces both for safety and sustainability.

Safety first

We install a wide range of soft-absorbing, durable flooring and surfaces for school playgrounds, leisure centres and local authority parks and trails. We have a wide range of attractive surfaces, which can incorporate bright and bold designs, while also providing a safe setting for outdoor learning, recreational and fitness. We offer the best solution whatever the setting – including options that are hardwearing, maintenance-free and weatherproof. They also comply with BS EN 1177, which deals with Impact Attenuating Surfacing. This is the type of surfacing that is required by legislation to be installed in parks, school playgrounds and public play areas throughout the UK. They lower the risk of injury to children while they are playing on equipment from heights.

There are a variety of surfacing options to consider, including Cushionfall, Wetpour and Rubber Mulch and Artificial Grass. Cushionfall is an affordable, low-maintenance safety surface for children’s playgrounds and activity areas. In addition to being a safe surface for children to play on, it is both wheelchair and pushchair approved. Years ago, you might have seen tarmac or concrete surfaces as hard standing for play areas, but these days Cushionfall is the favoured option for local authorities and playground installers as it is both a safe product that is still competitively priced. It’s a loose fill surface derived from recycled timber and is contaminant free. Like many aspects of our activity equipment, Cushionfall is an environmentally-friendly, sustainable product. It’s also available in a variety of colours and bonds together to form a stable, free-draining safety surface.

Attractive options

Wetpour rubber surfacing is another popular surface we can install. A ‘wet pour’ surface is a blended mix of bound together rubber granules. It offers a seamless, continuous surface, though in some unusual cases on very large areas, a join may be necessary. We can also instal Rubber Mulch, which has the appearance of bark but is much safer. Rubber Bark is safe, slip-resistant and wheelchair friendly. It’s also fully-permeable for drainage and is a really attractive option in and around playgrounds, play areas, parks and other recreational areas. It is also a good one for safety, with a reassuring critical fall height rating. It's made from recycled tyres and covered in a bright, hard-wearing PU coating, to create bark-like rubber pieces. These are another one that’s eco-friendly and sustainable.

We also install the natural alternative of Wood Bark Chippings, which is made from chipped-up pieces of wood. This is a truly organic and sustainable form of surfacing that is a popular and looks great too. You can also install Artificial Grass as an alternative, especially in areas that would benefit from a bit of greenery. It may be an area where it’s difficult for grass to grow, or somewhere where it would wear out quickly with all those feet trampling across it. We use artificial grass in everything from playgrounds to sports arenas. Made from synthetic fibres, it’s durable and easy to maintain – and of course, it doesn’t need cutting to look its best.

If you would like to find out more about the safe, sustainable surfaces we have on offer for your activity areas and playgrounds, then get in touch today.