How should safety tiles be installed correctly?

Formation level and edge restraint are part of installing impact-absorbing surfacing in mat or slab form correctly: the substrate, connection system, fall zone, fall height and drainage must suit the intended use. This applies to outdoor impact-absorbing surfacing in gardens as well as to public play areas.

Under play equipment, the tested critical fall height of the selected product and installation must be at least equal to the equipment’s free fall height. The required dimensions of the impact-absorbing surfacing area depend on the individual item of play equipment.

On concrete or asphalt, the mats and slabs can be installed directly. Rainwater passes through the water-permeable surfacing to the supporting layer, from which it drains towards an open edge or outlet by means of the fall.

On grass or soil, direct installation is not appropriate. A loose layer of sand, chippings or gravel is also unsuitable as a substrate because loose material shifts over time.

After the turf has been removed, plastic honeycomb panels are laid on a thin laying course of chippings and filled with chippings to their upper edge. The mats or slabs are then installed above them. Rainwater passes through the complete construction and can drain into the underlying ground. Where loads are higher or ground conditions are unfavourable, a properly designed sub-base of compacted frost-protection material is also required beneath the laying course.

Further installation depends on the connection system. With mats using an interlocking system, the interlock of one mat is pressed down from above into that of the adjacent mat already in place. This stable joint usually requires neither bonding to the substrate nor edge restraint.

Slabs with plug-in connectors are installed in a half-bond pattern. They require edge restraint to prevent lateral movement. On a bound sub-base, bonding may be specified instead of edge restraint, depending on the installation situation.

During installation, the slabs should be at a uniform temperature of no more than approximately 17 °C and should not have been heated by direct sunlight. A rubber mallet assists with fitting the slabs, while a circular saw assists with cutting them. Where the impact-absorbing surfacing ends within a hard-surfaced area, a fixed ramp is used to avoid trip hazards at the transition.