Playground surfacing should be the simplest item in the world to procure, but it never fails that the Owner, the Landscape Architect, General Contractor and others are surprized when the surface fails and the supplier says with a straight face, “it meets spec”.
Protective surfacing around the world is governed by standards and each jurisdiction will have a set of standards or reference other national standards. As important as knowing which standards to quote is understanding the types of standards that exist and what they cover, whether they are performance based or guides, and whether they provide the protection the owner and user expect from their protective surfacing. This article is to provide an understanding of the relevant and non-relevant standards that are quoted in North America and what they mean to the owner and user. Readers of surfacing manufacturer/supplier literature will be exposed to many standards that have at some time been performed and since they are paid for why not continue to keep the meaningless data on their literature. Some of these are not relevant such as ASTM D530, D2444, D3137, D412 and depending how they are referenced ASTM F2479 and others. Searching Standards Bodies websites such as CSA and ASTM is free and the validity of a Standard to a situation can be determined.