OK to Use Wood Chips as Playground Mulch?

Well mostly wood, sharp blades, and not much brush. Would species be a factor?

I do understand that it'd need to be dumped and spread quickly so as to discourage mold.
 
Around here it is technically illegal. "Playground mulch" as it is bought and sold here has to be treated with an anti-bacterial agent in case the little kiddies get a scratch...but we do have some private schools that take the free stuff...fyi.
 
As a certified playground safety inspector I can say that I would not use random chips from the chipper in a public playground. Playground chips fall into a category known as impact attenuating surfacing. That is, true playground chips are certified (they come with paperwork and inflated cost) stating that they are rated (when applied at a certain depth) to reduce the force of impact at a given fall height. Everything having to do with playgrounds is all about the playground owner being able to defend him/herself in court should he/she be sued in the event of an accident. So, as a CPSI, I would advise against it in a public playground. As an arborist who's very familiar with random chips, and as a father of four, all aged 6 or below, I would use chips from the chip box in my backyard playground without hesitation.
 
When I was a kid we had plenty of playgrounds with asphalt surfaces. Not saying that's okay, but it speaks to the litigious nature of this country now.

-Tom
 
don't the chips have to be rolled and screened first also? I had a guy that used to pay me $150 for a 25 yard box of wood only chips but it got to be a pain in the butt to wait and just chip wood at the end of the job. He gets $35 a yard after rolling/screening and certification......
 
[ QUOTE ]
When I was a kid we had plenty of playgrounds with asphalt surfaces. Not saying that's okay, but it speaks to the litigious nature of this country now.

-Tom

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, they still exist. It's up to the parents to decide if their children should use them or not. It's worth noting that there are no actual federal regulations governing playground safety. In my area (and most others) there are no state or local regulations either. There are however, very clear and detailed uniform standards written for playground safety. Along with that there is a certification (CPSI). So, if you maintain a public playground, and little johnny falls off the top of the horizontal ladder and becomes paralyzed, you are in the most defensible position if you and/or your employees are certified and are following the standards. It's not unlike cabling and bracing a tree that overhangs a house. If you've proven yourself to be an expert and are following industry standards, you find yourself in the best position should that tree fail. Except with public playgrounds, we are, almost without exception, dealing with children who get hurt. And, there are many more children using playgrounds than there are people living under questionable trees. And, most times the owners of public playgrounds are public entities, who for some reason seem a better target to sue than arborists. For all of these reasons, I do think it's a bit more of a "high-profile" (for lack of a better term) issue than cabling and bracing. Lots of discussion can be had over playground safety, related litigation, parenting, government regulation, and the apparent need for children to experience and deal with risk as a child, but this is the world we live in. Like most things, playground safety can become as complicated an issue as we want to make it. But, children don't care much. Mostly, they just want a playground to be fun and challenging for them.
 
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