SAFETY SURFACES & SAFER SURFACING
A safer surface should always be considered when initially planning your project. We strongly advise any customer considering any play equipment installation to have a safer surface installed. However, according to current BSEN regulations they are not required, when the equipment has a maximum FHOF of under 1000 mm when installed on a well-maintained turf area.
Under the new 2009 BSEN 1176 regulations, in some circumstances play equipment can be placed onto turf for fall heights of up to 1500mm providing a risk assessment has been completed and includes the following: that a depth test to 150mm indicates very few stones or hard objects, wear areas are strengthened, use of the grass surface is monitored, that a good grass sward is maintained continually and that the area is kept moist in dry spells.
Look for this symbol for low level equipment: 
(FHOF = Free Height Of Fall).
Look for this symbol for semi-low level equipment: 
A safer surface is mandatory where the equipment has a FHOF of over 600mm.
As part of our service to you, we are able to advise where a safer surface really should be included, the most suitable type for your individual application and the exact amount of falling space required around the equipment.
Types of Surface
There are five main types of safer surface supplied by us. These are Wet Pour Rubber, Woodland Play, Loose Fill, Safer Fall and Artificial Grass.
ARTIFICIAL GRASS - The perfect solution for those wanting a very natural and grass-like area. It can be laid over most surfaces with some groundworks. It comes in different fall height thicknesses, this is done by adding various layers of shock pads underneath.
It's a very hygienic, aesthetic and fully guaranteed surface. It deters animal droppings and pests and doesn't decompose. It has a very high resistance to vandalism too with very little maintenance. The softness is consistent and stays coloured as you wish with its UV stable characteristic. Its porous nature allows water to seep through and so it doesn't puddle to any extent.
WOODLAND PLAY - WOODLAND PLAY (a bound together - NOT LOOSE - safer surface) is now a popular concept in safer surfacing that is designed to look like natural bark, but is made of rubber shred that is bound together with a flexible binder in a specialist machine and then laid and rolled out on a variety of existing surfaces.
It can be laid on tarmac, stone, hard packed soil, compacted stone bases or even into existing turf areas with just a membrane. Woodland Play benefits include:
- Will not decay
- Reduces moisture loss from soil
- Curbs weed growth
- Permeable
- Does not stain
- Quick Draining
- Realistic natural looking appearance
WET POUR RUBBER is the surface that one often sees in parks and on playground surfaces and is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "springy tarmac". Wet Pour Safety Surfacing is manufactured from rubber granules, mixed with a resin and is laid onto either an existing hard surface, or an area specifically excavated to the exact dimensions required. It is seamless, except on larger areas, and has the advantage of being virtually maintenance free.
Graphics can be inlaid using different colour rubber particles, normally at the time of installation. Wet pour is available in different colours other than black but does generally cost more.
LOOSE FILL surface can take many forms, pea shingle, sand, bark or wood peel. It is relatively cheap to install, but requires continual maintenance by way of raking over daily to maintain its impact attenuating properties. Its main drawbacks are the maintenance aspect, fouling by cats and other animals and in urban areas particularly, the hazards of syringes and broken glass. Normally situated on top of the existing surface for drainage properties rather than being dug in. They should always be kept to a depth of 30cm if fall heights are above 1000mm. Please note: on occasions the loose fill surfaces may discriminate against less able users.
SAFERFALL or "Hollow Mat" safer surfacing. This surface is now by far the most popular for areas where in the past a loose fill would have been used. This surface just gets laid over the grass or earth and follows the contours of the ground. If needed the ground can be levelled first, but this would be an extra job that would need to be priced beforehand. Please bear in mind that when these mats are laid onto grass they will disappear into the root system and out of sight after only a few months.
This is a normal occurrence and as such are designed to do this. It is tested to take a fall height of up to 2.5m on a natural grass sub base, which covers practically all of the equipment shown here. We normally lay this on a geotextile membrane to prevent most of the grass growth through it, this prevents sinking in boggy or wet areas and helps to keep users cleaner for a longer period of the year. We can, however, lay it without membrane if you still wish the grass to grow through it. With membrane beneath you may have to weed kill on occasions as some grass or weeds may still manage to get through or will grow from the hollows in the mats. Please bear in mind that soil does constantly move to varying degrees, so from time to time you may experience small humps and bumps appearing, if you do these can be easily resolved by lifting the offending area and levelling or filling and then relaying the mats. This is not a defect and is not covered under guarantee.
With this surface we can lay the mats just between low level items to make the area useable for more of the year, we can also infill your expensive time consuming bark areas with soil and lay these over instead to provide a much easier to manage and cheaper to maintain safer surface. Wet Pour and Saferfall are guaranteed under the same terms as our timber equipment, for a five year period.
