How
is shock-absorption determined?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
the U.S. Testing Company, and the State
of Illinois, among numerous state and
federal agencies, independent laboratories
and licensed testing companies have
conducted various tests designed to
measure the shock-absorption of various
surface materials as they relate to
falling objects. Tire rubber chips have
been shown to consistently absorb more
shock impact than any other standard
surface material. This is particularly
important because more than 550,000
playground injuries end up in the emergency
room every year. That is more than 1,500
visits per day. The majority of those
injuries are attributed to falls. Therefore
you can't afford to have anything less
than the world's safest playground surface:
Playsafer.
Is
there any steel content in Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch? No. Playsafer
1/2 inch chips are smaller than most
others. The smaller the chips, the less
likely they are to contain embedded
steel wire. To ensure that all wire
is removed, Playsafer chips pass through
4 unique, state of the art magnets during
the manufacturing process. This extra
attention literally ensures no steel
content. In fact, Playsafer is guaranteed
to be 99.9% steel-free.
Will
Playsafer™ Rubber Mulch crumble,
disintegrate, or decompose?
No. Playsafer™ Rubber Mulch chips
are made from 100% tire rubber. All
tires are made of vulcanized rubber.
the vulcanizing process makes the rubber
literally indestructible.
Is Playsafer™ Rubber
Mulch ever dusty or slippery?
No. In addition to promoting almost
instantaneous drainage, Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch retains small amounts of
moisture, which is just enough to prevent
the accumulation of dust and slipperiness.
How does Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch compare with shredded sneakers?
Shredded sneakers contain pieces of
leather, which become slippery when
wet, and eventually rot and break down.
Does
Playsafer™ Rubber Mulch blow or
wash away? No. Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch chips are too heavy to
be significantly affected by normal
high winds or heavy rains.
Does Playsafer™ Rubber
Mulch come in any color besides black?
Yes. For those who want to make a big
visual impact, we offer custom-colored
Playsafer™ Rubber Mulch to match
play equipment or corporate colors at
a reasonable price.
How
durable is colored Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch? The chips
are no less durable than black Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch. A non-toxic, highly durable
paint is used for the rubber. The end
result is that the colored Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch should not fade any faster
than that of good quality house paint,
and may very well last much longer.
How should the play area
be prepared? We recommend
the area be prepared ahead of time by
clearing the ground of rocks, stumps
and other debris, then calculate an
area that surrounds the play equipment
of 6-8 feet (commonly referred to as
the "use" or "fall zone").
We also recommend the use of 6"
landscape timbers or rubber
curbs around the entire play area,
which will contain the Playsafer, and
a filter fabric beneath the rubber to
prevent weed growth into the play area.
Where Playsafer is replacing some other
surface material, it is best to remove
the old surfacing material completely.
Sand or pebbles, for example, will only
work their way to the surface and minimize
Playsafer shock-absorption values, and
reintroduce abrasiveness to the play
area. Wood mulch or chips will continue
to attract insects, etc. under the surface
and will eventually decompose there
as well. SEE: Installation
Guidelines for Public Playgrounds
How
is Playsafer™ Rubber Mulch delivered?
Playsafer is delivered in bulk form
or bags.
What
type of maintenance is required?
Occasional raking.
Is Playsafer™ Rubber
Mulch toxic? No. Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch is non-toxic (and in the
case of colored surfacing chips, only
non-toxic paints are used). The chips
has no taste appeal, but if they should
be accidentally swallowed, test reports
show that the chips will simply pass
through the digestive tracts of both
humans and animals.(Maryland Environmental
Services, 1994)
Will
Playsafer™ Rubber Mulch stain
clothing or the area where it is installed?
No. Unlike wood mulch or chips which
can bleed when wet, Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch does not stain.
Do
Playsafer™ Rubber Mulch chips
smell? No. Some odor may
be present at the time of installation,
but, similar to installing a new shower
curtain, any odor will soon disappear.
Will
the DEP (Department of Environmental
Protection) bother property owners where
Playsafer™ Rubber Mulch is installed?
No. The DEP "strongly promotes
the use of recycled products since it
is essential to the long-term success
of local and national recycling programs."
In fact, the DEP visited the Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch manufacturing plant and
has expressed enthusiasm for the company's
efforts to rid the environment of hazardous
tire disposal sites by creating a positive
environmental use. Playsafer recycled
tire chips are not subject to DEP regulation
and there are no special removal requirements
associated with the closing of a play
area that has used them.
Will chips that find their
way into clothing end up melting in
a clothes dryer? No. Tire
rubber melts at approximately 500 degrees
F. Clothes dryers operate at less than
100 degrees F.
What happens to leaves or
branches that fall or blow onto Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch surfaces?
Those that are not removed by lightly
raking the surface will simply drain
through the chips and decompose over
time.
How
does the cost of Playsafer™ Rubber
Mulch compare to other products?
Initially, Playsafer™ Rubber Mulch
may cost a little more than some other
surfaces, however, Playsafer™
Rubber Mulch only needs to be installed
once. No annual upgrading or replacement
is required. Furthermore, in comparison
to wood mulch, Playsafer™ Rubber
Mulch requires a maximum of six inches
in depth, versus 12 inches for wood
mulch.
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