Introduction to Playground Safety

Current State of Play

in Malaysia

Norazri M. Nor, CPSI

 Heavy Stuff….
in a fun world…
Some Facts
Major Causes of Death and Serious Debilitating Injury

#1 Cause is Entanglement
…. of clothing, strings or ropes

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Major Causes of Death and Serious Debilitating Injury

#1 Cause is Entanglement
…. of clothing, strings or ropes

Video Entanglement

6
Major Causes of Death and Serious Debilitating Injury
#2 Cause is FALLS
…. onto hard underlying surfaces and/or non-compliant impact
attenuation properties

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 Major Causes of Death and Serious Debilitating Injury

#3 Head and Neck Entrapment

…. in equipment openings

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Major Causes of Death and Serious Debilitating Injury

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 Major Causes of Injury

FALLS 79% -
 68% Falls to surface
 10% Falls to other parts of
the equipment
 1% Falls to unknown

Falls are the most common

cause of injury on public
playgrounds
Recent Local Accident
Nov 2019
Recent Local Accident
July 2018
Recent Local Accident
25 Nov 2018
Accident in Public School
Accident in Public School
 Playground Safety
Malaysia’s Documents

1. MS 966:2017 (ASTM1487-11)

2. MS 2665:2017 Part 1 (ASTM 1292-13)

3. MS 2665:2017 Part 2 (ASTM 1292-13)

 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

1. General Requirement
2. Performance Requirement
3. Equipment
4. Fall Height
5. Use Zone
6. Protective Surfacing
 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

1. General Requirement
 Material (Metal/Wood/Others)
 Process – non harzadous content
 Fasterners & hardwares corrosion free & tools required for
use.
 Moving Item – reduce friction & fixed end.
 Tyres – hold no water & steel belt.
 Equipment are anchored to ground.
 Group Age.
 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

1. General Requirement
2. Performance Requirement
3. Equipment
4. Fall Height
5. Use Zone
6. Protective Surfacing
 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

2. Performance Requirement
 Head & Neck Entrapment
 Sharp Points & Edges
 Protrusions
 Entanglement
 Crush & Shear
 Suspended Hazards
 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

1. General Requirement
2. Performance Requirement
3. Equipment
4. Fall Height
5. Use Zone
6. Protective Surfacing
 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

3. Equipments
 Access & Egress  Swinging Gates & Doors
 Balance Beams  Merry Go Rounds
 Climbers  Roller Slides
 Upper Body  See Saws
 Sliding Poles  Spring Rockings
 Slides  Roofs
 Swings  Stepping Forms
 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

1. General Requirement
2. Performance Requirement
3. Equipment
4. Fall Height
5. Use Zone
6. Protective Surfacing
 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

4. Fall Height
 Integrated Equipment
 Independent Item
 Swing
 Rope Play Equipment
 MS Reference, end each section
 Designated Play Surface
 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

1. General Requirement
2. Performance Requirement
3. Equipment
4. Fall Height
5. Use Zone
6. Protective Surfacing
 The Use Zone

“The surface under and around

a piece of play equipment
onto which a child might land
when falling from or exiting
the equipment.” (CPSC)
 Use Zone for Stationary Equipment
 6 feet in all directions
from the equipment
perimeter

6 feet
 School-Age
To-Fro
Swings
ASTM F1487-01 Fig. A1.33

Note:
X = the vertical distance
from the protective surface
MOTION OCCURS to the pivot point of the
swing

STATIONARY STRUCTURE
 Slides For STATIONARY
STRUCTURE

ASTM F1487-01
Fig. A1.39
Slide Exit Use Zone

Note: X = highest point

of the sliding surface

Copyright NRPA/IPSI 29
Placement of Equipment
ASTM F1487-01 Fig. A1.41
 MS 966 – Specification
for Safety Performance

1. General Requirement
2. Performance Requirement
3. Equipment
4. Fall Height
5. Use Zone
6. Protective Surfacing
….repeat
Malaysia Playground Safety Documents

1. MS 966:2017
2. MS 2665:2017 Part 1
3. MS 2665:2017 Part 2
Question…?
MS 2665 – Playground Surfacing
Part 1 and Part 2
PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

MS 2665:2017
 Definitions:

• Loose Fill
• Unitary

• Critical Height
• G-Max, HIC.
• Impact Attenuation
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PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

What is playground surfacing?

 Material that lies beneath and around swings,
slides, and other playground equipment

Designed with a specific purpose for

• Child safety
• Wheelchair accessibility
• Aesthetics
• Cost

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PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

Why is safety surfacing important ?

Playground Accidents – 79% due to FALLs

• FALLs can cause severe head injuries

• Severe head injuries can lead to long-term
consequences / death
• Safety surfacing will help to minimise & prevent
injuries

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PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

What type of surfacing are available?

Unitary Surfacing Material
e.g. :
- Rubber tiles
- Pour-in-place rubber (Cast in situ / Wet-pour)
- Pre-fabricate based tiles
- Other IA Bottom plus Top Wear finishing

Loose-Fill Surfacing Material

e.g. :
- Sand
- Engineered wood fiber (EWF)
- Rubber mulch

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 Comparison of Playground Surfacing Materials
Type Characteristics Advantages Disadvantages
Sand • A natural, clean & non- • Low to medium in cost • Can be hard to walk on
packing material. Some • Easy to obtain • Not appropriate for
(Loose Fill)
sand types may not be • Easy to install wheelchairs/other mobility aids
appropriate for • Not flammable • Can attract pets
playground use due to • Does not support microbial • Higher ongoing maintenance
their tendency to compact growth cost
quickly • Requires: regular inspection,
• Should be installed at min. periodic raking, leveling & sifting
depth of 30cm of compacted sand
• Sub-surface preparation is • Removal of foreign matter
essential • Periodic addition of sand topping
Rubber • Combination of chemical • Wheelchair accessible • Initially expensive
Tiles binder & rubber filler • Stays in place • Requires professional
• Installation over asphalt or • Easy to clean installation
(Unitary) concrete with adequate • Consistent impact-absorbing • Can become hard over time, tiles
sub-grade qualities may curl on the edges, seams
• Lower maintenance costs over may tend to expand and cause
long term tripping
• Decomposes slowly
• Easy to repair

Poured-in • Seamless synthetic • Wheelchair accessible • Initially very expensive

surface formed with
Place chemical binder & rubber
(Unitary) filler
• Installation over asphalt or
concrete with adequate
sub-grade
• Available in variety of
• Stays in place
• Easy to clean
• Consistent impact-absorbing
qualities
• Lower maintenance costs over
long term
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• Decomposes slowly
• Requires professional
installation
• Wide variation in quality
• Can become hard over time
• Difficult to repair
PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

Awareness of the New

Surfacing Safety Standards
MS 2665 – Part 1 & 2

Impact Attenuation – Fall height

Safety Zone – Fall Zone

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PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

Principal Contents of Standard - MS 2665

 Focus on head injury

 Critical height of surfacing materials

Lab Test Procedure

Field Test Procedure

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PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

Impact Attenuation test

Passing Criterion
 HIC value < 1000
 G-max value < 200

Criterion for head injuries -Calculated in

accordance to the formula given in standard

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PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

Impact Attenuation
- Guideline on Fall Height requirements

Top / Wear Layer

Bottom /
Impact Lay

35
50mmmm 25m
65m m
70m 50mm 85mm
75mm mSurface 25mm
85m m
Thickness
m
PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

safeFALL Seamless Safety Surfacing

System
PLAYGROUND
SURFACING Project : Hong
Kong

safeFALL Seamless Safety Surfacing safeFALL system

EPDM Top Layer :
System 10mm
PMI Impact Tiles:
75mm
PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

Unitary Surfacing – PMI

underlay mat
Project :
Singapore

Artificial Turf Top

Layer
PMI Impact Tiles:
45mm
PLAYGROUND
SURFACING
Project :
Singapore
safeFALL Seamless Safety Surfacing
safeFALL system
System EPDM Top Layer :
10mm
PMI Impact Tiles:
55mm
PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

Unitary Surfacing – PMI

underlay mat

Project : Condo
Iskandar Putri

Artificial Turf
Topping
PMI Impact Tiles:
40mm
PLAYGROUND
SURFACING Unitary Surfacing – PMI
underlay mat

Project :
Putrajaya

Artificial Turf
Topping
PMI Impact Tiles:
40mm
PLAYGROUND
SURFACING

Unitary Surfacing – SBR

underlay insitu

Project :
Putrajaya

Artificial Turf
Topping
SBR insitu: 30mm
Thank you…