Playground Safety Standards for Safe Play Flooring
Are you looking for the right flooring for your latest playground development? You need safety flooring that meets British Standards to reduce the risk of injury. Safety should be at the forefront at all stages of planning and installation. This is because, without appropriate shock-absorbent materials or surface installation depths, your site may not meet playground safety standards, limiting the fun of future users.
Here are the guidelines and safety requirements that your surfaces need to follow to create a safe play environment. Are you or your team looking for more guidance on appropriate installation and where to source the right safety surfacing materials? PlaySmart is the answer. Book a call with our team with our contact form or email us at: info@playsmartuk.co.uk.
Safety Standards for Playground Surfacing
Safety is paramount for any playground, especially in spaces where fall or slip risks are a concern. In the UK, playgrounds must be appropriately prepared to avoid accidents and minimise injury when they do occur. To do this, all flooring must meet the following safety surfacing guidelines:
BS EN 1177
The British Standard for Critical Fall Height Protection applies to surfaces underneath equipment with a free fall height over 0.6m. This means that safety surfaces must be appropriate to reduce risks of injury from falls from the highest point to an equally sized area outward from the base of the equipment.
If your grass mat or artificial grass surfaces require extra protection, our SmartPlay safety shock pad is the ideal choice. Easily installed underneath surfaces, this solution helps to significantly improve critical fall height protection.
PlaySmart’s surfaces go beyond this standard to offer up to 3m of critical fall height protection. However, this is dependent on the site’s needs, surface material chosen, and ground conditions. Visit our technical information blog for more on the specific critical fall height testing that our grass mats range has achieved.
BS 7188
Protection against slips and falls goes a long way when looking to avoid and minimise hazards on the playground. As children play together, run around, and jump from equipment, accidents are bound to happen. It is our job as professional surface installers and playground development experts to ensure that minimal harm comes from these accidents.
PlaySmart provides an ‘Accident Smart’ guarantee with our safety surfaces. This covers slip resistance, resistance to indentation, abrasive wear, tensile strength, and additional elements of performance that may impact the useability and safety of your surfaces.
BS 7044
Self-extinguishing within 60 seconds of ignition is the British standard for fire-retardant matting. FireSmart is our premier fire-retardant surface that meets these rules, providing effective protection for vegetation, wooden playground equipment, and any other flammable elements on the playground.
BS EN 1176
Standard 1176 covers the installation, maintenance, and general safety of public playground spaces. Our team caters to this through our dedication to the long-term safety and effectiveness of all of our clients’ surfaces. We provide advice on surface maintenance, and guarantees for replacements and repairs for up to 5 years after installation.
Notably, our team specialises in installing grass mat safety surfacing. Our unique installation techniques are unlike other surface installation companies. We design our approach to maximise the longevity of your grass mats. Recessed edges, secure fixings, and special attention paid to groundwork are key to a long-lasting, safe surface.
Safe Surface Performance Testing
Performance testing is crucial to ensure an overall safe play space for children that meets these key playground safety standards. PlaySmart uses the independent testing company Labosport to certify our surfaces under BS EN rules 7188, 1177, and 1176. We conducted testing under a variety of weather and ground conditions to ensure that our surfaces provide suitable protection whatever the weather, soil quality and moisture content of the underlying turf.
Safe Surface Material Options
- PlaySmart offers a unique approach to grass mats. You can combine our SmartPlay shock pad underlay with FireSmart or EcoSmart mats on a variety of bases to achieve protection for up to critical fall heights of 3.1m
- JungleMulch provides Critical Fall Height Protection from 1.3m to 3.1m dependent on surface and rubber installation depth.
- RubbaSmart offers Critical Fall Height Protection for 0.6m to 3.0m when installed at various thicknesses and specified depths or with a range of sub-bases.
Ensure your Surfaces are Up to these Playground Safety Standards with PlaySmart.
With PlaySmart’s 20 year anniversary coming up this autumn, our team has had a lot of experience adapting surfacing to the safety requirements of a range of projects. Therefore, whatever your surface safety requirements, we have the solution for you.
For more information, you can book a call with our team with our contact form or email us at: info@playsmartuk.co.uk.
