| Children
come in contact with safety matting all in a rush and usually
when they least expect it. In some ways having safety matting
can actually be like the proverbial "double-edged sword"
cutting in both directions. Having it in place to protect against
accidental collisions is of course a good idea. But, kids and
even adults can take its presence as a kind of "invitation"
to be reckless by extending their field of play far beyond the
intended safety limits anticipated by the the matting providers.
Common sense is perhaps the best
guideline of all when approaching this topic. Will a mat of
a few inches in thickness prevent a broken bone or a broken
neck from happening? If the child is falling from an 8 foot
high crow's nest on a fancy backyard play apparatus, we can
safely say, "Probably not." Could it protect against
cranial damage? Well, it depends on the mat. But, there
are those that are designed to do just that.
If it doesn't make sense, don't
do it. Picking the appropriate safety matting and wall padding
for children at their different stages of development can
be a very sobering responsibility. We suggest those faced
with that task take a some time to visit the web site of the
Brain
Injury Association of America and see what it has
to offer in the way of statistics and general information
before moving on to product selection or the National Injury Prevention Foundation. The US Consumer Product
Safety Commission has published its "Handbook
for Public Playground Safety", which presents
what may be the most authoratative review and guidelines for
playground safety there is available to our knowledge.
Please feel free to contact us
at (800)442-6544 to discuss your particular Children's Safety
matting requirements or take a look at or various product
offerings to see if they might address your needs. Click here
for our Playground and Children's Safety Matting Product
Index. |
