Iowa SAFE Surfacing Initiative
Refunded for 2004
The National Program for Playground Safety, headquartered at
the University of Northern Iowa, was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Iowa
Legislature in 2003 to study the safety of playground surfacing material
manufactured in Iowa.
The
project is part of House Amendment 1541 and was sponsored by Representatives
Carmen Boal (R-Ankney); Dennis Cohoon (D-Des Moines); Mark Davitt
(D-Indianola); Ervin Dennis (R-Cedar Falls); Dan Huseman (R-Aurelia); Geri
Huser (D-Altoona); and Jodi Tymeson (R-Winterset).
Called the Iowa SAFE Surfacing Initiative (ISSI), the pilot project called
for playground surfacing mats created from recycled tires installed at a number
of randomly chosen school playgrounds throughout the state. School districts
that participated in the project in 2003 were Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids,
Cherokee, Davenport, Decorah, Fort Dodge, Waterloo, Sioux City, and three state
parks. Most of the school playgrounds were using wood chips, sand or pea gravel
for surfacing.
Injury data is being collected to quantify injuries before and after
installing the surfacing.
The Iowa SAFE Surfacing Initiative has again received
funding for 2004. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack signed the refunding bill to
continue installation of the rubber playground tiles to more schools in the
state.
Beside collecting safety data, the ISSI is also providing schools with
additional resources to promote playground safety awareness and injury
prevention.
"Our primary reason for pursuing this project is improving safety on the
playground since falls account for 70 percent of playground injuries," said
Donna Thompson, director of the National Program for Playground Safety.
The rubber matting not only offers uniform coverage that will last for
years, but also allows increased accessibility for children with disabilities,
a requirement for playgrounds under the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990.
The ISSI specifies the manufacturer of the mats must be an Iowa company.
Ninety-seven percent of the grant monies are used to purchase and install the
mats.
Reprinted from
Landscape Online
