Softfall Information
Softfall Safety Surfacing for Playgrounds
The Australian Standards for play surfaces, states that an impact-absorbing surface is required wherever falls from play equipment are possible. This surface is variously known as soft fall, soft floor. Soft fall can be made from a variety of materials including foam rubber with synthetic grass, wetpour rubber, or even specially prepared woodchip.
A soft fall surface is one which is designed to absorb impacts from falls, and to minimise the potential for head injury. Accordingly soft fall should be installed under all fixed or portable play equipment. Our rubber and synthetic play surfaces have been tested as per the Australian Standards (1996) and are certified softfall safety systems. A Soft fall Compliance Certificate is issued on the completion of all Play Cover softfall installations.
Soft Fall Testing
Does your playground softfall meet the Australian Standards? We can arrange for NATA accredited professionals to drop test your playground soft fall onsite, and provide a comprehensive report on the status of your playground. Please note that this softfall testing service is not available in all areas, and you will need to book ahead. Call today to find out how we can help you.
Softfall Testing Requirements
The Australian Standard AS/NZS 4422:1996 specifies testing requirements to determine the critical fall height for playground safety surfaces. The critical fall height is determined by determining the fall height at which one of two safety criteria are exceeded; those criteria are the Head Injury Criterion exceeding 1000, and the maximum acceleration due to the impact exceeding 200g. The critical fall height is determined by dropping an instrumented headform from various heights onto the soft fall surface and measuring the acceleration due to the impact. Heights tested include those which produce measurements that satisfy the relevant criterion and those which exceed the relevant criterion.
We are available for advice on all applications.