Playground Surfacing Selection Criteria  

Why purchase rubber tile surfacing provided by the National Safe Surfacing Initiative (NSSI)? 

·        The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reported in 2001 that more than 527,000 individuals were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to playground equipment with an annual cost of $11.2 billion dollars.    

·        The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that 70% of playground injuries are caused by falls to the surface. 

The NSSI's mission is to assist parks, elementary schools and childcare centers in breaking the cycle of injuries caused by inadequate playground surfacing.   Loose-fill surfacing is a costly maintenance problem and when poorly maintained can be hazardous.  Regardless of the loose-fill material: shredded rubber, woodchips, sand or pea-gravel; school districts are constantly in search of a better solution.  

The NSSI provides an opportunity to solve the perpetual problem of year over year costs resulting from ineffective loose-fill surfacing that does not provide effective protection.    

Let's explore the key decision factors to consider as you make your playground surfacing selection. 

1. Has the surfacing actually been shown to reduce injuries?

• Proven Injury Reduction - In a recently released study, conducted by the National Program for Playground Safety, serious injuries were reduced by 75% over two years through the use of the NSSI's playground safety tiles and playground supervision training.  The safety tiles provided by the NSSI are the only playground safety tiles in the country that have been tested and proven to reduce injuries.

2. Does the surfacing promote healthier play?

• Childhood Obesity - Playground tiles help fight childhood obesity by offering more outdoor play days because tiles don't get muddy, wet or freeze like loose fill material
• Foreign materials and allergens - Rubber tiles are non-allergenic and will not harbor animal feces, foreign materials and bacteria or molds responsible for allergies and asthma in children.   

3. Will the surfacing reduce liability risk?

• Lack of maintenance = negligence - Playgrounds with inappropriately maintained loose fill surfacing, that results in injuries to children, are a real liability risk for school districts. 
• LEGAL SUPPORT SERVICESÔ - The NSSI is so confident in the product it recommends that we provide "Legal Support Services™" for all NSSI certified playgrounds.  NSSI will assist with expert testimony in the event of a playground liability lawsuit, due to injures caused by falls to the surface for any NSSI certified playground.

4. Will the surfacing reduce maintenance costs and provide savings?

• Annual Replenishment and Daily Maintenance - Loose-fill playground surfacing such as woodchips, pea-gravel and shredded rubber creates problems both inside and outside your buildings with displacement and tracking.  In addition, it must be maintained daily and replenished annually to meet Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) guidelines for fall protection.
• Average cost per play area - A school district that recently installed our tiles in 14 of their elementary schools estimated that the annual playground maintenance costs for each school, before tiles, was about $6,000 per year. 

5. Is the Surfacing ADA Compliant?

• The U.S. Department of Justice has mandated that outdoor play environments accommodate children of all abilities.  Tiles recommended by the NSSI meet these requirements in the field every day with little or no maintenance.

6. Is there Third Party Validation?

• The Missouri Playground Surfacing Program sponsored by the Missouri School Board Association
• The Iowa Playground Surfacing Program sponsored by the Iowa Association of School Boards
• Endorsed by the Iowa Head Start Association
• No other product has undergone the level of testing and certification as have the playground tiles provided by the NSSI.  This product is the ONLY playground safety tile that has been tested, certified and approved by all of the following: 

·  Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)	·  International Playground Equip. Mfg. Association (IPEMA)
·  U.S. Department of Justice Americans with Disabilities Act	·  National Safe Surfacing Initiative (NSSI) Certifications
·  National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS)	·  American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM)
·  Detroit Testing Laboratories	·  State of Iowa - 75% Injury Reduction - 51 test sites

7. Why are the NSSI's safety tiles a good investment?

·        Patented "Cold-Cure" Manufacturing Process - Rubber playground tiles provide by the NSSI are the only tiles that use a high-quality, finely ground rubber combined with a soft urethane resin and manufactured by a patented cold-cure process.  This process allows the tiles to stay soft in extreme temperatures, throughout the life of the surfacing.   

§         Other tiles are made with coarser rubber and a heat-cured process that causes the tiles to harden over time.  In some products, that process causes the rubber to break down chemically and causes tar like smudges on children and their clothing.  

§         Tiles recommended by the NSSI have a 5-year warranty and an anticipated life expectancy of 20-25 years.