Safety Surfacing

There are three ASTM standards to consider when choosing safety surfacing for your project: one for impact from falls to the surface, one for wheelchair accessibility and one for Engineered Wood Fiber.

  • ASTM F1292 Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation for Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment.

  • ASTM F1951 (formerly PS83) Standard Specification for Determination of Accessibility of Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment.

  • ASTM F 2075 Standard Specification for Engineered Wood Fiber for Use as a Playground Safety Surface Under and Around Playground Equipment.

There are two basic types of surfacing: loose-fill and unitary. Examples of loose-fill materials include shredded wood products, sand, gravel, and shredded rubber. Some examples of unitary materials are rubber mats with a poured-in-place top surface and synthetic poured surfaces.

The majority of our projects use engineered wood fiber for their safety surfacing. Some factors to consider when choosing a safety surface are: initial installation cost, primary intended users, durability, drainage, accessibility, and maintenance costs.

Links:

Standards

ASTM F1292-99
ASTM F1951-99
 ASTM F2075-01a

Engineered Wood Fiber

Fibar Company

Zeager Bros. Inc.

Sof 'Fal Inc.

Kids Karpet
 

Rubber surfacing

SofSURFACES Inc.

Surface America

GroundScape