Whether they be at school or in the neighborhood, playgrounds have become indispensable for providing children with a sense enjoyment as well as much needed exercise. However, playgrounds can also result in serious injury if the proper safety equipment is not being used. Every two minutes, a child is injured on a playground, and 70% of those injuries result from a fall. To prevent serious accidents, safe playground equipment is a must. A safe playground literally begins from the ground, up; installing a safe playground surface is the most important safety precaution you can take. The following playground safety surface suggestions could help prevent a severe accident:

* Use a playground surface that provides cushion in the event that a child falls. It should be solid enough for your kids to run around without tripping on uneven ground, but should also have enough cushion to absorb contact from trips and falls. Use padded playground surfaces as an alternative to dirt, sand, wood and traditional wood chips. Its cushioned surface prevents injury and the patented design carries water away from the surface. This not only helps prevent slip, it minimizes the injury if they do occur.

Padded playground safety surfaces are also great for indoor playgrounds for they take the place of the hard flooring typically associated with indoor set ups.

* If you prefer something a little less solid, engineered wood fiber chips are a great alternative. The makeup of the wood fiber chips actually allows for a more solid play surface than traditional wood chips, and it also makes for a soft landing in case of a fall. Engineered wood fiber chips are used in over 50,000 playgrounds in North America and have been proven to be an effective playground safety surface.

* Another great option to consider is the use of padded mats. Swing mats and slide mats are an excellent way to cushion the landings for both falls and landings that occur during normal use. The mats can also be used to pad the ground beneath a jungle gym or monkey bars. For areas such as these where falls and landings can almost be expected on a daily basis, padded safety mats are a must. You can also use these padded mats for indoors to improve the safety of indoor gym activities such as rope climbing and gymnastic activities.

Although there are many other ways to improve the safety of your local playgrounds, safety surfaces are the backbone of any improvement. Installation of these surfaces is typically very fast and should be the first step you take toward creating a safe playground. Encourage your school or local playground officials to turn their playground into a safe playground. The safety surfaces mentioned above are both durable and affordable which means they are not only safe, they're affordable and can actually save your school or town money in the long run. We all want our children to enjoy themselves, let's make sure they can do so in a safe environment.