Importance of Impact Absorbing Surfaces The playground surface is the material that lies under and around playground equipment. The surface material under the equipment should be able to cushion a child’s fall. Injuries from falls occur not because children fall, but because the surface on which they fall isn’t able to adequately absorb the impact of their fall. Proper surfacing is prevention of predictable injuries.
There isn’t a single best surface to use on playgrounds. The best surface is the one that:
the program can afford
the program is able to appropriately maintain
meets the needs of the children based on their age
is workable given the climate where the program is located
consistently meets the standard for depth that is based on the height of the equipment on the playground.