Children taken from playground by 2 boys, police say

Injury Prevention

• The greatest benefit to a rubber playground surface is that it is shock-absorbing and softer than other types of surfacing, such as sand, bark mulch or pea gravel. When children fall – or jump -- off the equipment, they are less likely to be injured landing on a rubber surface. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency have both conducted independent tests concluding that rubber mulch is the safest surface for all playgrounds. A solid rubber surface is also safe, but because it does not displace the way that mulch does, it can lead to some injuries.