The Play Inspection Company provides Triax Safety Surface Testing. Please call or fill out the form on our Contact page for further details and pricing; Sample reports are available by request.
There are many myths about playground surfacing, but it is important to understand that the prime purpose of any impact absorbing surface is to prevent serious head injuries (brain damage) to children that may fall from the equipment.
HIC (Head Injury Criterion) testing is a method used to measure how well playground surfacing can absorb impact and reduce the risk of serious head injuries if a child falls. The test uses a specialist headform device with sensors that is dropped onto the surface to record the forces experienced on impact.
The results are used to determine two key things:
- HIC Value – This must be 1,000 or below to meet safety standards.
- Critical Fall Height (CFH) – The maximum height from which the surface can protect a child with an acceptable HIC value. This must be equal to or higher than the equipment’s fall height.
HIC testing is required under BS EN 1177 and supports compliance with BS EN 1176, ensuring surfacing is suitable and safe for the equipment installed. It is commonly carried out when installing new equipment or surfacing, after repairs, or when verifying ongoing safety performance.
In short, HIC testing confirms that the surfacing provides adequate impact protection and helps reduce the risk of serious head injuries in playgrounds.
The portable testing equipment we use when carrying out safety surface testing gives a good indication of the impact absorbing properties of any surface and provides the operator with a written record of the surface performance.
Safety Surface testing can be carried out on all types of playground surfaces, ie. sand, bark (loosefill), pea gravel, wetpour, tiles, grassmat etc. Many operators are now specifying that safety surface tests should be carried out at the same time as the Post Installation Inspection to ensure that the surfacing is performing as it should do. We also receive numerous requests to carry out these tests to assist in establishing whether surfaces have performed correctly in the unfortunate event of an accident occurring and from new suppliers of safety surfacing looking for indicative testing on their product performance.
The Play Inspection Company offer competitive rates on safety surface testing, be it standalone or in combination with other inspections. Please contact us for further information and pricing details.
