Member Perspectives — Safer Playgrounds, Brighter Futures: The Case For Rubberized Surfaces

Play is an essential right for our children and a critical component of childhood development, but playgrounds can also be a battleground for safety. As parents, it can be difficult to strike a balance between allowing children to explore freely while also keeping them safe. How can we keep playgrounds a central hub for play when they can come with injury risks? The problem doesn't require overthinking, it's right under our feet! 

The answer isn't to limit play but to ensure the spaces they play in are designed with the best possible safety in mind. Whether in urban, rural, or suburban areas, communities across the country have made significant strides to create safer playgrounds, but they still remain a substantial source of childhood injuries: more than 200,000 children visit an emergency room for a playground-related injury every year. Around 45% of these injuries include severe fractures, concussions, and dislocations. The ground underneath playground equipment is often hard and the drops can be substantial. At typical playground heights of nine feet or more, some of the most commonly used surfaces, such as grass and wood chips, may not provide the safety you'd expect, as they do not provide much protection from falls and can become slippery or overly rigid under certain weather conditions. Thankfully, an innovative solution has gained traction in recent years: rubberized surfaces. 

Rubberized surfaces, such as poured-in-place surfaces, loose-fill rubber mulch, rubber tile surfaces, and other manufactured rubberized options, are constructed using materials like rubber nuggets and rubber tile surfacing. Recycled rubber is one of the most highly-studied surface materials with decades of academic, government, and industry-published research. These surfaces act as a protective cushion against the impact of falls, a critical consideration since research shows that over 70% of playground injuries result from falls. 

Traditional surfaces like grass, dirt, and gravel can exacerbate injuries. Even common materials, like wood mulch, can fail to provide adequate fall protection as the material does not absorb shocks well and can be washed away during storms or turned solid in freezing temperatures. Meanwhile, studies show that all rubberized surfaces can effectively cushion falls with some able to protect against falls from heights of up to 12-16 feet.

Not only do rubberized playground surfaces represent a significant leap forward in children's safety, but they also exemplify a commitment to environmental sustainability. Rubber is engineered to sustain its performance characteristics indefinitely, making it an ideal material to support a carbon-neutral, circular economy. Crafted from highly refined recycled rubber, rubberized playground surfaces provide an eco-friendly alternative that reduces the demand for other, non-circular materials. This also provides a second life to discarded tires that might otherwise end up in landfills. Additionally, recycled rubber reduces the daily inspections and frequent refilling that wood mulch or "engineered wood" surfaces require in order to uphold their efficacy. Lastly, because rubber is engineered to perform indefinitely, even rubber playground materials can be reclaimed and reused repeatedly, furthering the circular economy.

Moreover, rubberized playground surfaces can help ensure all kids are able to have fun on playgrounds by accommodating the needs of children with disabilities. In line with the Americans with Disabilities Act's accessibility requirements, poured-in-place rubber is one of the most accessible and inclusive playground surfaces. Because of their low resistance, rubber surfaces make it easy for kids with disabilities who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids to move around smoothly, making it easier for everyone to play together.

Children's safety on playgrounds is a paramount concern, and the choice of surface material can play a pivotal role in reducing injuries. Rubberized playground surfaces offer a winning combination of safety, accessibility, and sustainability, making them the ideal choice for a safer and more inclusive play environment for children. Parents can advocate for playground equity and child safety by encouraging the use of rubberized surfaces on their local playgrounds. 

Art Dodge is Board Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Ecore, one of the largest companies in North America that manufactures and installs performance surfaces made from reclaimed materials. 

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