Testing impact attenuation on California playground surfaces made of recycled tires.
This study was conducted to determine whether rubberized playground surfaces made of recycled tires comply with state-mandated standards for impact attenuation (measured with an accelerometer), and whether their properties change in response to temperature or time. The Head Impact Criterion (HIC) standard of 1000 was found to be a more sensitive indicator of compliance than the G(max) standard of 200(g). Of 32 playgrounds tested, 22 (69 percent) failed the HIC standard. As the heights of playground structures increased, so did the likelihood that the rubberized surface below would fail the HIC standard. Rubberized surfaces gave stable readings for the first three months following installation, and higher values in response to increasing surface temperature. An excessively high percentage of playground surfaces made of recycled tires failed the state-mandated standards designed to prevent serious head injury from falls. Future failures might be prevented by requiring installers to perform post-installation testing to verify compliance.
Vidair
Charles
C
California Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Oakland, CA 94612, USA. cvidair@oehha.ca.gov
Haas
Robert
R
Schlag
Robert
R
D000058:Accidental Falls; D002140:California; D003252:Construction Materials; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011633:Public Facilities; D012408:Rubber; D012449:Safety
D012408:Rubber