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5
Placement and Play Area Surfacing
Before installing the swing, select and prepare a play area.
Placement
Install the swing at least three feet (1 m) from any structure or obstruction
such as a tree trunk, fence, garage, house, overhanging branches, laundry
lines or electrical lines.
Surfacing
Following are guidelines from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s
Handbook for Public Playground Safety to minimize injuries that can result
from falls. These guidelines apply to playground equipment including but not
limited to swing sets and climbing equipment.
Hard surfacing materials are not suitable for use under this equipment. Earth
surfaces such as soils and hard packed dirt are also not recommended
because their shock absorbing properties can vary depending on climactic
conditions such as moisture and temperature. Grass and turf are not
recommended because their effectiveness in absorbing shock during a fall
can be reduced considerably due to wear and environmental conditions.
Acceptable surfacing materials are available in two basic types: loose-fill
and unitary.
Loose-fill materials can have acceptable shock absorbing properties when
installed at sufficient uncompressed depth of at least 6 inches (15,2 cm).
These materials include sand (fine and coarse), gravel (fine and medium)
and shredded wood products (wood mulch, shredded bark, wood chips).
Loose-fills should not be installed over hard surfaces such as asphalt or
concrete. The depth of any loose-fill material could be reduced during use
resulting in different shock-absorbing characteristics. For this reason, a
depth greater than the minimum recommended should be considered.
Unitary materials are generally rubber mats or a combination of rubber-like
materials held in place by a binder that may be poured in place at the
playground site and cures to form a unitary shock absorbing surface.