Next Generation Wood Product for School, Church and Public Playgrounds
For many schools, summer is perfect for property improvement projects, including upgrades such as resurfacing the playground. The federal government sets minimum requirements for playground surfacing material and the CushionWood product from Kamps is certified to meet them.
Requirements
Above all, new playground surfacing material must be ADA compliant. As of March 2012, playgrounds must meet the following requirements:
- Provide a safe surface under and around playground equipment
- Fully surface with playground’s use area with a material that doesn’t limit accessibility
- Meet propulsion and turning requirements for children and adults with mobility devices
To make sure playground surface materials are compliant, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has defined standards. For example, playground material must meet a minimum impact attenuation to help prevent injury should a child fall from a piece of equipment. Playground surface materials must also be free of contaminates, sized to a pre-determined specification and meet the ADA’s compaction rate. This ensures playground access to all.
Options
That leaves basically two options for playground surface material: synthetic materials or loose fill materials. Traditionally, wood chips fall into the loose fill category and meet the first two requirements, but are not ADA compliant for turning and propulsion. However, CushionWood does meet all three requirements, providing schools and public playgrounds with a cost-efficient option that meets regulations.
CushionWood is a product with integrity. It drains water well, provides a naturally attractive appearance that delivers long-lasting quality and durability, and provides shock absorbency that outperforms other playground surface material. It’s also one of our Wood Resource Division products that allows a pallet to move through an entire lifecycle with minimum waste.
Certification
Our CushionWood product is certified by a third-party every year. It’s a priority for us to be sure our product meets not only our standards, but our customers’ needs and requirements as well. The independent agency provides propulsion and turning testing, as well as head impact testing, to certify that our product meets ASTM standards. Kamps CushionWood is in accordance with:
- ASTM 1951-14 (Wheelchair Mobility)
- ASTM F1292-13 (Impact Attenuation)
- ASTM F 2075-15 (Metals & Sieve Analysis)
To learn more about CushionWood, our Wood Resource Division or our many pallet products, contact your local sales rep today!
