JACKSON MAN FINDS PLAYGROUND MATERIAL; SHREDDED RUBBER OFFERS CHILDREN A PROTECTION AGAINST HAZARDS

JACKSON -- This year marks the 10th anniversary of a government handbook that initiated a major transformation in the playground industry.

The two-volume "Handbook for Public Playground Safety" suggested guidelines for manufacturers, designers and purchasers to reduce playground hazards for children. But the number of injuries and lawsuits resulting from playground accidents continues to escalate.

Jackson businessman Bob Crader somewhat inadvertently came upon a solution to the problem several years ago. He and his wife, Debbie, operate Crader Tire and Retread Service, which produces waste rubber when tires are planed smooth for retreading.

One jury in New York handed down a record-setting $33 million award to a 9-year-old boy who fell onto bricks and rubble, leaving him a quadriplegic who depends upon a respirator.

Liability insurance premiums for playgrounds range in the millions of dollars annually for major cities. A basic risk-management library for parks and recreation directors consists of a 30-book collection with a $1,000 price tag.

Reasons for the problem abound, and most lay the blame on someone else. Experts agree on one major problem: at least seven of every 10 serious playground injuries occur when children fall on a playground surface. Nevertheless, almost all playgrounds are surfaced with asphalt, clay, concrete, and hard dirt.

Nationally, the number of playground accidents requiring emergency room treatment more than doubled in the 10-year span from 1975 to 1985, reaching over 200,000 annually, the National Parks and Recreation Association says.

Several years ago Crader had used some of the shredded compound for mulch in a flower bed to hold down weeds and had off-handedly noted its buoyancy when he walked on it.

Then three years ago, some friends who run a day care center happened to mention their insurer contended the playground needed 12 inches of pea gravel. "I thought to myself, a 16-inch retaining wall to hold in the gravel would cost a lot and wondered what would happen to a little kid falling off the retaining wall," Crader explained.

"Then it just hit me. They could use the shredded rubber. It would have lots of give with less depth. So that's when we got the idea." Until then, the shredded rubber had been a nuisance to dispose of.

After checking with the tire company's insurance carrier to establish liability coverage, the Craders developed a modest marketing plan. They had a small broad-sheet mailer printed and sent to the 3,000 institutions within 300 miles that operate playgrounds, touting the benefits of "Safety Soft Rubber."

"We got bombarded with responses," he said. "The first year (1988) we had 100 customers. And we are selling all we can produce now. The response has been great."

The company is back-ordered through April.

A normal load consists of 400 cubic feet of the material, which weighs about 20,000 pounds. It is spread three inches deep; sometimes up to six inches if the customer wants more than normal.

The Craders use an innovative approach to product distribution. Because commercial shipping costs are too high to be economically feasible, they deliver it themselves and turn the trip into a two- or three-day family getaway weekend. When possible, the couple and their children, Jeff and Kim, dispense the load at the playground for the customer and then spend the rest of the weekend exploring attractions in the area.

Crader stressed several advantages of the compound. He said it allows better drainage, is non-toxic, is moderately priced, cannot be thrown like pea gravel, and requires little maintenance. It also gives the playground operators legal protection, in addition to helping protect children from injuries, he said.

Crader said its cost compares to an investment because, if the playground operator is sued due to a child being injured, the operator can show they have done what they could to mitigate a playground hazard. One Missouri customer surfaced its playground with the material after being sued by parents of an injured child. "But that's locking the barn gate after the horse got out," said Crader. "They should be putting this on before kids get hurt," he said.

The material tends to build up in areas used intensively, such as under swings and slides, he said. Like other loose materials, it should be regularly raked back into place, he explained.

According to Crader's estimate, a 10-by-10-foot playground can be covered with three inches of the material for $60, half the cost of hard rubber matting but more expensive than wood chips or pea gravel. Most of that cost is in the logistics of getting the material to the customer, not from the product itself.

The mixture of mostly polycarbons and natural rubber results from truck tires being prepared for retreading. The top quarter-inch of tread is shredded off with a burring machine to provide an even surface to which the retread is bonded. The waste that is torn off the tire is what is used for the playground surfacing.

"This business accomplishes two things," Crader said. "It provides safety for children, and it's better for the environment. My dad, Bob Sr., had a fit; he said he had been throwing the material away for 30 years and now I'm selling it."