
Installing & Maintaining Wet-Pour Surfacing for Playgrounds
From the first considerations regarding the construction of a playground surface through to final completion, a clear understanding is required of the process. The processes and decisions that need to be made can be complex and will depend upon many contributing factors.
This code of practice for Wet-pour Safer Surfacing has six main sections that cover requirements and provide technical information on the installation and maintenance of a wetpour surface used in the construction of playgrounds.
The opening section of the code of practice introduces wet-pour as a system and how the document can be used throughout the construction of the playground surface. It also underlies issues that the reader must be made aware of.
The second section, standards and specifications, outlines the main standards set by the British Standards Institute (BSI) and the range of tests the surface must pass to satisfy the safety and performance criteria. Even though every effort is made to
ensure the code of practice is up to date, SAPCA highly recommends that the standards are checked via the original source to ensure they cover the very latest requirements.
Section three covers the construction of the base structure outlining the general requirements that need to be in place. For instance, base structures can be created from new or utilising an existing hard surface.
Section four provides guidance on the installation of a wet-pour surface. It provides information and technical guidance on methods of installation, surface levels, jointing and the quality of the finished installation.
The penultimate section refers to the maintenance of a finished wet-pour surface. It covers issues from moss and algae to general cleanliness and what could be done in the case of snow and ice.
The warranty of the newly installed surface is the last issue to be detailed in the code of practice. The responsible party is outlined along with the general conditions of the warranty.
