USA January 2009
Technical Data Sheet 1
Assessing required thicknesses and areas
The purpose of this Sheet is to help playground operators to calculate the thicknesses of Playtop® needed around and under different
types of play equipment, and the areas that need to be protected. It is based on the latest American Standards specifying safety
requirements for playground equipment (ASTM Specification F1487-07) and impact-attenuating playground surfacing (ASTM
Specification F1292-04), and the Public Playground Safety Handbook of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Specifying the right thickness
Playground operators must choose a surface with a Critical Fall Height rating that matches or exceeds the maximum possible ‘fall
height’ from their play equipment. ASTM Specification F1292-04 defines the Critical Fall Height tests. An instrumented ‘headform’
representing a child’s head is dropped from various heights onto the test specimen, and its deceleration is monitored. The greatest fall
height that keeps maximum deceleration below the permitted limit gives the rated Critical Fall Height for the surface product.
The Critical Fall Height ratings for our standard thicknesses of Playtop® are:
Thickness
20 mm
40 mm
50 mm
60 mm
80 mm
100 mm
140 mm
Critical Fall Height
600 mm
1.2 m
1.4 m
16 m
2.0 m
2.5 m
3.0 m
We recommend using a 20 mm thickness of Playtop® for general run-about areas of the playground as well as under low play
equipment with fall heights up to 600 mm. But note that, because 20 mm of Playtop® requires a separate structural layer but 40 mm
can be laid directly on a dynamic (crushed-stone) base, the 40 mm thickness may sometimes be cheaper. Please ask us for alternative
quotations.
Assessing the fall height
The fall height of a piece of play equipment is specified as follows:
• For equipment on which the child stands, it is the height above the ground of the highest platform intended for standing on, regardless
of higher guard rails or roofs. For climbers giving access to composite structures, it is the highest point intended for foot support. On
balance beams and stepping forms it is the highest walking surface and on log rolls the highest rolling surface.
• For swings of all types, the fall height is the height of the swing’s pivot point, to allow for the swinging movements of the seat and the
child.
• For slides, the height of the transition platform (top of slide) gives the fall height for the whole slide.
• For overhead ladders, rings or arches, for track rides (cable runways) and for free-standing climbers, the fall height is given by the
highest usable component of the equipment. The height of the hand-grips on cable runways should lie between 64 and 78 inches.
The maximum height of other overhead equipment should be 60 inches for ages 2 through 5 and 84 inches for ages 6 through 12.
• For climbing nets, the exterior fall height is the highest point on the periphery allowing a vertical fall (most falls from higher positions
are safely into the network), and the interior fall height is the highest possible fall to the ground through a mesh greater than 18 inches
diameter (ages 2 through 5) or 20 inches diameter (ages 6 through 12).
• For sliding poles, the fall height is 60 inches below the highest part of the pole.
• For rocking/springing equipment, the fall height is the maximum height of the seat. For seesaws, it is the maximum height attainable
by any part of the seesaw. For merry-go-rounds (carousels), it is the height from the perimeter surface on which the user sits or
stands.
Assessing the area to be protected
The basic rule for the extent of the area that must be protected (the ‘use zone’) is that it should extend 72 inches from the perimeter of
the play equipment or its supporting structure.
This rule applies to stationary equipment, track rides (cable runways), rotating equipment such as merry-go-rounds (carousels), and
rocking/springing equipment on which the child sits.
For rocking/springing equipment on which the child stands, the extent of the use zone is increased to 84 inches.
Special rules apply to swings and slides.
USA January 2009
Technical Data Sheet 1
Swings
For rotating (single-point) swings, the use zone is a circle centered on the rest position and with a radius H + 72 inches where H is the
vertical distance from the pivot point to the seat or suspended member. The requirement for a 72-inch use zone from the swing
supports is added to this: any area that qualifies under either rule must be protected (see Fig.1).
For to-and-fro swings, the length of the use zone in both directions from the rest position is given by the formula 2H. If the swing has
open seats, H is the height of the pivot point above the ground. But if the swing has fully enclosed bucket seats designed for toddlers, H
is the vertical distance from the pivot point to the seat. In both cases the width of the use zone, equally about the centre line, is W + 60
inches, where W is the distance between the left and right suspension ropes, chains or cables measured 60 inches above the ground.
As above, the requirement for a 72-inch use zone from the swing supports is added to this: any area that qualifies under either rule must
be protected (see Fig.2).
Slides
(excluding embankment slides)
The standard rule of a 72-inch use zone applies to the areas at the back and sides of the slide. For slides up to 72 inches high, the
standard use zone also applies to the area at the bottom end of the slide. For slides higher than 72 inches, the use zone at the bottom
end should be at least as long as the slide is high, up to a maximum of 96 inches (see Fig.3).
Technical data sheets are available for:
1. Assessing required thicknesses and areas
2. Substructure specifications
All can be found under the Downloads section on: www.playtop.com
Playtop L.L.C | 272 Main St | Wadsworth | Ohio | 44281
Tel: 330-835-8352
Email: [email protected]
www.playtop.com
3. Additional tests
4. Maintenance and repair