Safe playgrounds for little rascals

Swings, slides, romping and climbing - playgrounds are full of fun. There are many aspects to consider when planning playgrounds: Is there a Special Themato which the playground is adapted
for example a farm or a maritime museum? How should the playground fit into the Surroundings fit in? Is a certain Colour concept to pursue? How much space is available at all? Disposition? Is it a classic playground outdoors or around a Modern indoor area such as in shopping malls or airports? Very important: How old are the children who are to play in this playground and what requirements do they have in terms of play equipment? - This list is certainly not exhaustive, but it gives you a feel for what needs to be considered. Every decision has an influence on others. A very important one is Kind and Height of the play equipment, because they decide on the Fall protection measures. From a fall height of 60 cm, special fall protection surfaces are prescribed to prevent permanent head injuries in particular.

Gritting materials and safety tiles in comparison

Classic spreading materials are suitable for different drop heights. For drop heights of up to one metre, the following are generally used Earth, clay and gravel for those up to one and a half
metres Lawns and for those up to three metres Fall protection sand, bark mulch or wood chips. Disadvantage of the scattering materials: they become "played away", so that often only a thin layer remains, especially where fall protection is urgently needed. In addition, often Puddles and Impurities such as broken glass or dog faeces mix with the surface. Lawn areas under play equipment such as swings also quickly become affected and become unsightly over time.

A real alternative are fall protection slabs and floors made of Recycled material. They usually consist of Rubber fibres or granulate and a Binding agent like polyurethane. The panels come in different colours and shapes. In addition to square panels, puzzle modules or fapaving stone-look protective elements can also be used. For example, letter tiles can be used to immortalise the name of the nursery school on the floor, number tiles can be used to permanently integrate a jumping box into the play area and other textures can be used to simulate natural surfaces such as moss or mulch - the Fantasy there are hardly any limits. Depending on the requirements, different thicknesses Plates can be selected. For drop heights of up to one metre, panels with a thickness of 30 millimetres are sufficient. Depending on the requirements, thicker panels can be selected; for example, panels up to 70 millimetres thick with a special soft substrate are used for a drop height of three metres.

The advantages of impact protection slabs: they provide a permanent even fall protectionare easy on the joints when playing and running around, are Safety checkedhardwearing, Durable and weather-resistant. In wet conditions, the rough surface texture even reduces the Danger of slipping. Rainwater is also quickly channelled through the water-permeable plates and discharged via Drainage grooves into the soil. Another advantage: they have a sound-absorbing and can reduce ball noise, for example.

Those responsible for the playing surfaces also benefit from additional advantages, as the panels are easy to relocate and to Maintain and above all in the long term economic. Fall protection slabs are comparatively easy to lay: All you need to do is lay a layer of frost-proof substructure with good drainage capacity be laid. As a rule, this consists of 30 cm of gravel and 5 cm of chippings, which are compacted to a load-bearing capacity. The slabs can be laid on this base using pegs and glued down if necessary. Recesses for play equipment can be filled with a Carpet knife can be made. An edging - also available barrier-free without tripping hazards - rounds off the playing surface. Impurities on the surface are visible and can be removed quickly - regular sweeping with a broom is usually sufficient; high-pressure cleaning is recommended annually. The Investment costs for fall protection slabs are higher than those for fall protection devices made of natural scattering materials. The installation pays off in the long term
of safety tiles: Because they are less maintenance-intensive and more durable, they are significantly more cost-efficient in the long term. more favourable as scatter coatings.

Example: After around four years, the initial cost advantage of sand is used up; over a period of ten years, the costs for a surface made of sand are even twice as high as for a surface with safety tiles.

Sustainable and harmless to health

Particularly important when used as a play surface for children: the slabs, which are made to a high degree of Used tyres existn, can be used without hesitation: The manufacturers, who are organised under the umbrella of NEW LIFE have their products regularly tested for the release of heavy metals, PAHs and arsenic. Although potentially harmful substances are contained in the boards, they are not present in the products. boundso that neither children nor the environment come into contact with these substances. In contrast to gritting materials, there is virtually no Wear and tearThe products provide permanent fall protection.

By the way: Once the fall protection surface has reached the end of its service life, the material can be recycled again and used in another playground, for example!

Grid panels successfully in use

Dirk Kürten works in play area management at Technische Betriebe Remscheid. His tasks include checking and maintaining the play equipment and surfaces on over 100 playgrounds.
municipal playgrounds. The team from Remscheid's technical operations department Fall protection on different materials, especially under swings have been used for about ten years. Grid tiles for use. "Originally, we used turf for a fall height of up to one and a half metres, but this is particularly popular under swings and spring rockers.
quickly. It is precisely in these areas that we are now working with the grass grid slabs because the fall protection is comparable and the surface remains visually appealing," explains Kürten.
As in all municipalities, cost-effectiveness also plays a major role in Remscheid: "The solution is good and, as our tenders have shown, the price/performance ratio is also unbeatable," adds Kürten. The fact that these are recycled products is another plus point, and the grass grid slabs can also be used optimally for the
Slope stabilisation behind landslides.

Rubber granulate playground - Guaranteed without corners and edges

Playground designers can design entire Play worlds with products from Recycling granulate created. The combination of the flooring with other rubber elements and classic wooden or metal play equipment creates an appealing Optics. The recycling products are always used where they fulfil their Advantages compared to classic solutions: Interlocking pavers made of ELT rubber sandpit surrounds pose less risk of injury than those made of concrete, trampolines can be placed in the
The floor must be embedded and provided with soft rubber granulate borders. Antistumble edges ensure that children can enter and leave the play areas safely. Bollards for sitting, balancing or jumping round off the playground. Or how about a colourful animal family made from recycled material? The "Living Animals" from the EUROFLEX® product family from KRAIBURG Relastec are suitable as seating for the Indoor and outdoor areas. The tail of the elephant, rhino or dromedary is a crank - turning it generates energy and plays an audio file. In addition to the pre-installed files on the stick, you can also save your own MP3 files and customise them to suit the playground.
and the surroundings. The music sounds purely through Muscular strengthno electrical power supply is required and the play equipment is therefore Easy to maintain.

Fountains without sludge

Especially in the hot summer Fountain a welcome change in playgrounds. However, the experience with the cool water usually turns directly into muddy action...
Once the water mixes with sand, parents have a hard time getting the kids ready to go home again. Fall protection floors made of rubber granulate can also be optimised here
can be used: Their rough surface reduces the risk of slipping, the water seeped away in the ground and the children can enjoy the splashing fun to the full.

Immerse yourself in another world

Indoor playgrounds become a special eye-catcher with recycled flooring and a coating: thanks to individual design optionsites z. e.g. for fall protection floors REGUPOL playfix or through Customised printing from KRAIBURG Relastec transforms practical floors into chic design elements. The EUROFLEX® Visual System from KRAIBURG transforms the shopping mall into a dolphinarium or the airport into a mountain landscape.

The highlight: Not only floors, but also walls can be panelled so that completely new worlds can be created in a room - whether as a playground or an oasis of calm.

By the way: Fall protection products made from recycled material are also international very popular. Over the past 15 years, Milton Technologies has successfully realised projects in China, Hong Kong and Macau, including equipping playgrounds for the Shanghai International School and McDonald's China.

Monnie Hung, Managing Director of Milton Technologies Ltd, is convinced by the products:
"The trust in the quality of KRAIBURG Relastec's products is reflected in the fact that we have a very high customer retention rate. Most of our customers
come back to us when they have a specific need for certain rubber flooring solutions."

By the way: Manufacturers of ELT products for the playground can be found at: Playground accessories; Fall protection