Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

Four Temporary Waterslide Designs Adapted to Different Slope Conditions to Encourage Child Socialization in Playgrounds
Published on: December 9, 2022
The effect of surface and season on playground injury rates
Lara Joan Branson1, John Latter, Gillian R Currie
1Department of Paediatrics;
Objective:
To examine the effect of season on playground surface injury rates.
Methods:
Injuries were identified through student incident report forms used in school districts in Calgary (Alberta) and the surrounding area. Playground surface exposure data were estimated based on school enrollment.
Results:
A total of 539 injuries were reported during the 2007/2008 school year. Abrasions, bruises and inflammation were the most frequently reported injuries. The head, neck or face were most commonly injured. Injury rates per 1000 student days ranged between 0.018 (rubber crumb in spring) and 0.08 (poured-in-place and natural rock in the fall). Rubber crumb surfacing, compared with natural rock, had a significantly lower rate of injury in the spring, but no other season-surface comparisons were statistically significant.
Conclusions:
Rates of injury were similar for natural rock, poured-in-place, and crushed rock in the fall and winter. There was some evidence of a lower rate of injury on rubber crumb surfaces in the spring.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Frost Action on Concrete
This freeze-thaw cycle primarily causes surface scaling, where...
Factors Affecting Body Temperature
Factors may include:
Factors Influencing Attraction II: Physical Attraction
Design Example: Designing Water Slide
Bernoulli's principle determines the water's velocity along the slide....
Global Climate Change

