They are safe the children's playgrounds?

These norms collect the requirements that have to fulfil the equipment (swings, toboganes, balancines, etc.) and the materials used, the dimensions of the gaps and free spaces that avoid risks to remain trapped, the distances and heights of hygiene, the protection against falls and enganchones of clothes and peel, etc. Besides, do reference to the thicknesses of coating of the areas of game, to the requirements of the installation (for example, in his cimentación), the free distances of obstacles and to the back maintenance of the area of game.

One of the most important factors to reduce the injuries by accident (and his gravity) that produce when the boys fall of the installations is that the surface of the floor was suitable. In this sense, is evident that the concept of hygiene in parks where go to play boys has changed a lot in the last years. Nowadays no longer they build parks with the floor of cement or asphalt and have realised spectacular advances in the field of the materials that absorb the impacts of falls and jumps. The managers to design a childish park are increasingly sensitive to the guidelines of a rule that, fortunately, allows to reduce substantially the risk of accidents in these installations. However, and in spite of this positive awareness for doing the things well, is not of more enumerate a series of factors that have to be taken into account in relation to the floors and pavings of the children's playgrounds.

As already it has commented previously, the concrete, the asphalt and the paving are dangerous and unacceptable. The lawn, the earth and the surfaces of compact earth also are unsure because the meteorological conditions and the wear can reduce his capacity to cushion the fall of the boy. The surface that covers the floor has to be composed by materials no compact, like wooden shavings, padded of straw or of barks, sand, gravel or rubber triturada. The wooden shavings with treatment of arsenate of copper cromatado (CCA, by his acronyms in English) are not recommended, since this material can be dangerous for the health. Also they consider safe the surfaces of coating of rubber or of similar materials to the rubber that have been subjected to the proofs of pertinent hygiene. For installations of a height of until 2,5 metres, have to use material of filling no compact of a depth of 30 cm. The material of filling of these surfaces does not have to compact, because, in such a case, would reduce his effect amortiguador. Any material considers sure for the surface of a childish park if the height combined of the installations of game and of the boy (situated of foot on the highest platform) surpasses the 3,7 m. The surface amortiguadora has to extend like minimum 1,8 m further of the busy area by the installations of game. It can require a greater coverage, depending on the high that it was the tobogán or of the distance until where arrive the swing. If it places material of filling on a hard surface (like the asphalt or the concrete), will have to have a layer of 7,5 to 15 cm of material of filling, like the gravel, a layer of cloth geotextil, a layer of material of filling and afterwards a coating anti-impacts under the installations.

Although it result obvious, also is necessary to take into account that, although they use some suitable surfaces for the floor, is not possible to warn all the injuries. Besides, what higher are the installations, greater will be the risk that the boys lesionen when falling from them.

To the margin of the substrata natural that can exert a true capacity amortiguadora like coating of the floor of children's playgrounds (sand, gravel, wooden shavings...), the industry has developed a series of pavings of hygiene designed to avoid accidents and that fulfil a series of requests according to mark the European norm IN1177.

The first request is to fulfil with the protection of the fall according to the HIC (Hight Critical Impact) that marks the necessary thickness of the paving according to the distinct heights of platform that compose the game. The second request is that the floor used this recognised like paving amortiguador. In the market exist a big variety of pavings that use for this end (losetas of rubber, pavings of rubber of continuous application, artificial grass with subbase amortiguadora, etc) that later will analyse. The third request is that the paving keep in mint condition during all the useful life of the game, realising the maintenances and necessary inspections to fulfil with the norm IN1176.

The pavings of rubber, so much in losetas as in continuous, are first of all a product amortiguador of impacts, offering a pleasant appearance, feeling, softness, porosidad, soundproofing, permeabilidad.

His application in children's playgrounds lúdicos offers to the smallest a continuous space without dangers, full of possibilities to enjoy of the game and of full confidence for the parents. Contrived to minimise the risks of injuries produced by the falls of the boys from the equipment of game, adapt to any space, giving a complete hygiene.

The system monocapa or bicapa of SBR and EPDM, employed for his manufacture, mixed with resins of poliuretano and pigments do them innocuous for the health and the environingingment. His physical and technical characteristics do them especially recommended for this type of installations. Permeable to the water, the drainage of this flat, allows his utilisation even when it rains. When it does heat, keeps a stable surface still with extreme temperatures. This flat has the capacity to absorb aqueous solutions antisépticas, allowing like this have a place with high degree of hygiene and protected against funguses and bacteria. The paving accepts any design and form with a wide range of colours and textures and adapts to distinct irregularities of the terrain by his elasticity.

The losetas of rubber are manufactured with a system of machiembrado that to the engarzar a loseta with the contiguous, to way of puzle, reduce of form very significant the contractions and dilatations of the losetas been due to the variations of temperature.

Are manufactured by granules of rubber recycled calibrated and joined by a resin of poliuretano. The baldosas are microporosas with system of drainage incorporated in the inferior part, what allows a fast evacuation of the water. The top of the loseta is antideslizante, giving a greater hygiene. The dimensions are used to to be of 1000mm x 500 mm and the thicknesses vary in function of the HIC (critical height of fall) that require in each game.

The pavings of continuous hygiene are original, decorative, resistant to the intemperie and do not have boards. They can be customised regarding forms and colours. They compose of a layer of rubber SBR black and another layer of rubber EPDM of colour mixed with special resins. It can place in distinct thicknesses depending of the HIC (height of critical fall) that wish .

The lawn with base amortiguadora is a special system that combines the artificial grass with layers of ideal elastic bases to build surfaces of childish games insurance and reliable. Thanks to this composition of materials and layers, this system has showed efficient to amortise falls of until 3,4 metres with a guarantee of 7 years.

Treats of a safe system, clean, resistant, aesthetic and ecological. Has an excellent permeabilidad and resists the extreme temperatures and to the rays UV. To his time offers a durable performance and high resistance to impacts since the material keeps his format and technical properties still after strong impacts. The presence of foam of polietileno of enclosed cell in his composition guarantees very low absorption of water avoiding freezings during winter and ensuring a constant performance under any climatic condition.