Playground Design & Safety

At Playdale, playground safety and playground design are paramount. That’s why we are personally invested in every stage of your project.

From initial ideas and consultation, right the way through to After-sales care – we want to take the stress out of your project and help you create the playground of your dreams.

Find out more about our services:

Free consultation and design service
Manufacturing and materials
Delivery and installation
Inspections and maintenance
Free funding guide

Safety at the heart of playground design

Outdoor play is crucial to childhood development. Perceived risk-taking is a fundamental part of that development, which can only be facilitated by proper access to outdoor play equipment.

However, parents should feel reassured that any real risk is mitigated thanks to the careful, considerate design of Playdale playground equipment.

At Playdale Playgrounds, all of our play equipment is independently certified, assuring full playground safety throughout.

Independent certification and playground safety

Independent certification for our playground designs means:

• Rigorous independent tests by the British Standards Institution or TUV, providing further reassurance for clients and parents.
• 100% confidence that all play equipment, products and playground designs meet the European Standard.
• Playdale’s commitment to product quality and safety standards is backed by unbiased third parties.

What sets Playdale playground designs apart

Playdale’s philosophy is to design outdoor children’s play equipment that is original, exciting, adventurous, challenging and fun for children of all age groups, from toddlers to teenagers.

Playdale playground designs test varying degrees of movement skills, appropriate to the level of development of particular age groups and abilities. This encourages children to progress from basic playground swings and slides to more adventurous outdoor equipment, such as Woodland Eco Towers and playground roundabouts.

Playground surfacing

Playground surfacing is a key aspect of safety, providing a softer landing for falls, as well as smooth surface options for wheelchair accessibility.

Popular playground surfacing options include;

• Wet pour – a continuous rubber surface that’s high-quality, hard-wearing and can be customised with unique designs, perfect for playground theming.
• Synthetic grass – no-maintenance grass surfacing that provides a soft landing, perfect for natural-looking playgrounds.
• Loosefill – Cussionfall, Playgrade Bark, sand and gravel loosefill alternative surfacing for natural-looking protection.
• Tiles – Coloured or plain tiles made from rubber, providing a soft surface that’s laid atop concrete flooring.

Safe and high-quality playground equipment

All our play equipment goes through an intense and comprehensive development process before being released into the market – with all play equipment design work carried out by experienced in-house designers using the latest 3D CAD software.

During this process, all playground design and safety factors, including: play value, ergonomics, general safety, compliance with European safety standards, appearance, strength, durability, fire resistance, vandal resistance, UV stability, colours, graphics and cost are addressed extensively.

Full-scale play equipment prototypes are then manufactured in-house and installed on our playground product test area. These full-scale play equipment prototypes undergo stringent in-house tests, including use by children of suitable ages, to ensure the units give the correct play value and all ergonomics work as intended.

Following further modifications, all new play equipment units are independently tested to ensure full compliance with the European Safety Standards for outdoor Playground Equipment, BS EN1176. Subject to passing these tests, all units are certified.

Other independent bodies, such as ROSPA, NPFA, local authorities or other key customers, are frequently consulted during the design of our units.

Playdale is committed to ensuring that we stay at the forefront of playground equipment design, whether it be through the continual improvement of existing play area products or the continuous and frequent addition of new, exciting units to our timber and steel play equipment ranges.

Equipment layout and spacing

When designing your playground, our playground safety and design consultants will ensure equipment is laid out to keep a safe flow of children using and moving between different items.

Layout and spacing considerations also include landing areas for the safest dismounts from equipment, which is especially important with high-speed items such as Aerial Runways, playground movers, swings and slides – as well as high-up or balance-focused equipment, including adventure trails and climbers.

Safe playground designs with Playdale

From initial design to final installation, Playdale supports you every step of the way. Get in touch to discuss a safe playground solution tailored to your space.