Playgrounds offer children fun, fresh air and exercise in what should be a safe environment. Unfortunately, in the UK each year, approximately 40,000 injuries occur in children’s playgrounds (Source: RoSPA). Although most of these injuries are minor mishaps – a bumped head, bruised elbow or grazed knee, in a number of cases, hospital treatment is necessary. So when you consider these facts, you need to ensure that you've done all you can to prevent injury at your site.

Accidents happen for all sorts of reasons, with many accidents involving falls to the ground from equipment and with kids being kids, this is a tough one to prevent! Having the right safety surfacing won’t prevent the fall, but whereas once, a child would have fallen onto concrete or hard ground, safety surfacing cushions the blow, reducing the severity of any injury.

Although there is no legislation relating directly to safety in children’s playgrounds, there are a number of relevant Acts of Parliament such as the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and Consumer Safety Act (1978). Courts also frequently look for British (BS) and European (EN) standard compliance as evidence of good practice, although it should be noted these do not provide immunity from legal action.

All Matta playground safety surfacing complies with the relevant BS EN legislation for critical fall height certification. They also comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) for inclusive access, and go above and beyond the requirements for flame retardency.