Playground surfacing materials are required to comply with the requirements of ASTM F 1292 the Standard Specifications for Impact Attenuation of Surface Materials.  Man made products such as Poured in Place rubber surfacing are Certified by the manufacturers to comply with F 1292 if it is installed and maintained correctly but natural products such as sand do not have certification programs.  Poured in Place surfacing is mixed on site so it is not easy to determine if the material is mixed at the proper ration or installed and maintained properly.  Surfacing material must have impact values that are appropriate for the fall height of your equipment.  On site Impact Testing is the only way to confirm that your surfacing material is appropriate for your playground.

Sports surface testing can also be done but at this time there are no standards for things like Pole Vault pits and High Jump pits but there are groups that are courrently working on the developement of standards for these events.  i have been working with a group that is testiinf pole vault landing pads and pole planting boxes.

Synthetic Sports Fields have a different Impact Attenuation requirement than Playgrounds and must conform to the requirements of ASTM F 1936 the Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation of turf playing systems.  On site Sports Field Surface Testing should be done at installation to verify compliance; the surface should not be accepted unless it is.  Synthetic surfaces are an expensive investment so you want to be certain you are getting what you pay for.  The fields should be tested on a regular basis to assure the surface continues to provide adequate protection.