Quick on-site reference for playground compliance — impact areas, fall zones, ladders, stairs and entrapment gaps. For guidance only; always confirm against the current Australian Standards.
Impact areas & softfall
- Impact areas are required for any item 600 mm or higher.
- Impact areas are measured from the outer perimeter of the equipment.
- There can be no overlap of free space with any item with forced movement (slides, swings, etc.).
- Loose material used as impact attenuation must be installed to a minimum depth of 300 mm and should never drop below 200 mm.
- In early childhood services the maximum fall height is 1800 mm.
Rubber / wet-pour depth by fall height
| Fall height | Required depth |
|---|---|
| 600–700 mm | 20 mm |
| 701–1200 mm | 40 mm |
| 1201–1400 mm | 50 mm |
| 1401–1600 mm | 60 mm |
| 1601–1800 mm | 80 mm |
For impact-absorbing materials such as rubber matting and wet-pour rubber.
Fall zone distance
| Fall height | Fall distance |
|---|---|
| 600–1500 mm | 1500 mm |
| 1500–1800 mm | 1700 mm |
Some items fall under a different standard (swings, carousels, etc.).
Measuring fall height
- Platforms: measured from the top of the platform to the floor.
- Monkey bars: measured from the top of the monkey bars to the floor.
- Any item >600 mm high without room for the correct fall zone requires a guard rail / barrier with a minimum height of 700 mm.
Bars, ladders & stairs
- Steel bars / tubing: minimum diameter 16 mm, maximum 45 mm.
- No ladder or climbing item may be installed between 45° and 60°.
- Inclines 70–90° → rung-type ladder.
- Inclines 60–70° → step-type ladder.
- Stairs → 20–45°.
- Stairs exceeding 600 mm height require a handrail / fall zone (as above).
- Stairs exceeding 2000 mm require an intermediate landing (max interval 2000 mm); landings the same width as the stairs and at least 1000 mm long.
Entrapment gaps
- Fingers: openings/gaps should generally not be between 8 mm and 25 mm in accessible areas — especially more than 1000 mm above ground, or where there is forced movement.
- Head / neck: avoid openings between 89 mm and 230 mm. Any batten/picket above the top rail cannot extend 45 mm or more.
- Walking / running surfaces: gaps should not exceed 30 mm in the direction of travel.