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-filland unitary.

Loose-fillmaterials 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.