Recycled tire derived rubber is considered a tire-derived material (TDM) that is used as a feedstock material in the manufacturer of tire-derived products (TDP) and for a wide variety of end uses. TDM is used in athletic, recreation and play surfaces intended to prevent injuries from impact with the surface during play or falls and lower extremity injuries from rotational and lateral friction.

Effects-Tire Rubber Exposure PDF

The key to playground protective surfacing is the “protective” aspect first with accessibility to persons with all abilities and functional longevity a close second and third. Other considerations are important, but only if the surface continues to perform. This is doubly important in Ontario, Canada for Child Care operators, who have a mandated and continued requirement to meet or exceed the requirements of the CSA Z614 Standard.

Understanding Rubber Surfaces PDF

Playground surfacing should be the simplest item in the world to procure, but it never fails that the Owner, the Landscape Architect, General Contractor and others are surprized when the surface fails and the supplier says with a straight face, “it meets spec”.

Performance Based Standards PDF

ailure of a playing surface to meet standards and federal or state mandates could mean penalties, fines, liability and warranty repairs that could cost tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands for an owner or the general contractor. Playground surfaces are highly technical and not generally understood by either prime contracting parties and failures of the system resulting in warranty claims might lead to the discovery that the system supplier; No longer exists or has the financial wherewithal to affect the repair.

Contractors-Owners Part Ways PDF

The owner/operator of the playground faces a complicated set of requirements in the installation and ongoing management of the playground surface assets at the time of specification, purchase, installation and throughout its entire life. Some of the requirements will have liability concerns; others will have civil rights considerations, and every choice goes through a decision blender of capital vs. maintenance budgets and resources.

Sustainable Playground Surface PDF

Playgrounds are complex environments and the children who use them are more complex. In combination the two often lead to play that is positive to the child’s growth and development, but sometimes the play activity can result in injury. Playground practitioners, designers, owners, manufacturers, and caregivers have always worked diligently to provide an age-appropriate and challenging play experience balanced with the need to prevent life-threatening or debilitating injuries.

Are Playground Studies Helpful PDF