PLAYGROUND – IMPACT PROTECTION SLABS
PLAYGROUND – IMPACT PROTECTION SLABS – OVERVIEW
The most popular safety rubber flooring system for playgrounds are the Impact Protection Slabs. Playground Impact Protection Slabs allow children to play happily without risk of injury.
There are a variety of SBR rubber or EPDM rubber colours to choose from. Multi-colour slab mixtures can be supplied, where two or three colours are combined at your request. Glitter can also be added to any of the slabs, to create some sparkle, and there are letter, number, and slabs with motifs on them, that can be ordered. Min order per colour is 10 m2.
Rubber feels smooth and soft underfoot, it cushions the body’s joints and ligaments, while being incredibly durable. Impact protection slabs can be supplied in either SBR rubber, EPDM rubber or a combination of both rubbers.
Impact Protection Slabs are available in a variety of thickness.
Their safety compliance certificate is almost immediate when the impact protection slab is paired to the correct fall height placement of any playground.
Impact Protection Slabs allow children to play happily without risk of injury, and give parents and educators peace of mind in terms of safety compliance.
Impact protection slabs are best finished with corners and edges.
The impact protection slabs pair with numerous fun rubber accessories for playgrounds.
Impact protection slabs are a cost effective option for playground flooring/surfaces in South Africa, and are simple to install, and can be done at home without professional assistance. They come with integrated connector pins which secure the slabs when installed in a t-joint configuration, thus protecting against accidental movement and theft. The rubber used in our impact protection slabs is completely traceable, right down to each individual slab, by using production codes.
Rubber has stain resistant properties, making it very easy to clean.
SBR & EPDM BENEFITS
Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomers (EPDM) is a high density synthetic rubber which is weather resistant and absorbs less solar heat. It is extremely versatile with the ability to better withstand temperatures associated with environmental factors such as UV weathering and water swell.
Styrene-butadiene Rubber (SBR) is produced from black rubber tyres that are stripped of their metal reinforcing and then mechanically shredded into granules. These rubber granules are graded and available in different sizes, that can be coloured and used as an economical and surfacing.
While EPDM offers a wider range of colours and is more weather resistant, SBR is a more economical surfacing option.
WET POUR and IMPACT PROTECTION SLABS offers a combination of SBR and EPDM options to give you the best of both rubber products.
WET POUR and IMPACT PROTECTION SLABS applications can accommodate an installation of SBR as the cushion/base layer and EPDM as the wear/top layer.
CRITICAL FALL HEIGHTS
Playground equipment comes in various heights. Impact protection surfacing is installed to meet various critical fall heights. Our shock-absorbing Impact protection slabs are suitable for any fall height ranging from 0,60 – 3,00m.
The critical fall height is defined as the lowest fall height that generates a HIC value of 1000. Each Slab is individually tested to determine its Head Injury Criterion (HIC) value. When installed, the slabs are pre-certified to meet criteria in accordance with DIN EN 1177:2008; the international standard which requires shock-absorbent surfacing for a fall height of 0,60m or higher.
Impact protection slab thicknesses correlate to different critical fall heights. The higher the fall the thicker the slab needs to be.
e.g. An Impact Protection Slab with a thickness of 70mm provides impact protection for a 2,10m fall.
The South African Standard (SANS 51177:2010) for critical fall height has the identical implementation and is a direct adoption of the International Standard EN 1177:2008.
PLAYGROUND FLOORING PLACEMENT
The proper placement of playground flooring is essential.
The below points regarding the placement of the flooring is very broad. More detailed information is available on request.
- The protective surfacing should be extended to at least two meters from the equipment in all directions.
- The impact protection flooring should extend in front of and behind a single axis swing, to the distance that is equal to the height of the top bar from which the swing is suspended.
- The playground surfacing should cover a radius that is equal to the height of the suspending chain or rope plus two meters in all directions, for round or multi-axis swings.
DESIGN FREEDOM
The success of a floor depends on whether it is fit for purpose and on its appearance. This is the reason why the design (i.e. its lines, contours, colours, shape, texture or material) may become an important factor.
Playsafe playground wet pour EPDM offers the most design freedom, as any design can seamlessly be incorporated into the floor. This flooring ensures that the colours stay vibrant, while the wet pour application is a designers dream and any design and colour combination is possible.
CARE & MAINTENANCE
Rubber is known for its durability and its ability to last for decades, even under extreme weather conditions.
Maintenance is low due to high-quality materials being used in our surfacing.
In the unlikely event that your rubber flooring is permanently damaged, please contact us to assist and advise.