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. 2012 Nov;17(9):485-9.
doi: 10.1093/pch/17.9.485.

The effect of surface and season on playground injury rates

Lara Joan Branson  1 , John Latter, Gillian R Currie, Alberto Nettel-Aguirre, Tania Embree, Brent Edward Hagel
Affiliations

The effect of surface and season on playground injury rates

Lara Joan Branson et al. Paediatr Child Health. 2012 Nov.

Abstract
in English, French

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.

Objectif: Examiner l’effet de la saison sur le taux de blessures subies à cause des surfaces des terrains de jeux.

Méthodologie: Les chercheurs ont recensé les blessures grâce aux formulaires d’incidents chez les élèves utilisés, dans les districts scolaires de Calgary (Alberta) et de la région avoisinante. Ils ont évalué les données d’exposition aux surfaces de jeu d’après les inscriptions à l’école.

Résultats: Au total, 539 blessures ont été déclarées pendant l’année scolaire 2007–2008. La blessure la plus courante était une abrasion, une ecchymose ou une inflammation. La tête, le cou ou le visage étaient les plus touchés. Le taux de blessures sur 1 000 jours-élèves variait entre 0,018 (miettes de caoutchouc au printemps) et 0,08 (béton coulé et roche naturelle à l’automne). Par rapport à la roche naturelle, les surfaces de miettes de caoutchouc s’associaient à un taux de blessures beaucoup moins élevé au printemps, mais aucune autre comparaison des surfaces selon les saisons n’était statistiquement significative.

Conclusions: Le taux de blessures était similaire pour la roche naturelle, le béton coulé et la roche concassée à l’automne et pendant l’hiver. On remarquait certaines données probantes quant à un taux moins élevé de blessures sur les surfaces de miettes de caoutchouc au printemps.

Keywords: Children; Injury; Play; School.

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