Thus, increasing the padding thickness is strongly recommended if it is used at such locations. The test results confirm that the padding currently used within the greyhound industry is adequate for the fence but inadequate when used for rigid structural members such as the catching pen gate supports. Since padding impact attenuation characteristics are also affected by the installation and substrate, onsite testing was conducted to obtain the padding system impact attenuation performance in actual greyhound racing track applications. A laboratory test was subsequently conducted to compare the impact attenuation performance of different kinds of padding. Initially, greyhound racing speed was recorded and analysed with the IsoLynx system to understand the potential impact hazard to greyhounds during racing which indicates the necessity for injury prevention with padding. A standard head injury criterion (HIC) meter was used to examine padding impact attenuation performance based on the maximum g-force, HIC level and the HIC duration. This research is the first of its kind to investigate the impact attenuation characteristics of different padding systems for use within the greyhound racing industry for the enhanced safety and welfare of racing greyhounds. However, there are currently neither recognised standards nor minimum performance thresholds for greyhound industry padding systems. To reduce injuries to greyhounds caused by collisions with fixed racing track objects such as the outside fence or the catching pen structures, padding systems are widely adopted. The sand mined at these locations consistently had a tight particle size distribution. The most reliable source for good quality IAS sands on these rivers was on specific bends. These sands were shown to degrade the least and had little to no fines, and their particle shape was rounded to well-rounded. The best IAS sands were sourced from quarries located on rivers that had eroded volcanic outcrops. This accelerated ageing test method is applicable only to sands and not rubber or wood fibre IAS products. IAS degradation properties of fifteen IAS sands were tested including sand particle shape, sand particle distribution, percentage fines and sand particle degradation. This paper proposes an additional IAS test to eliminate sands that degrade above an established threshold rate after installation due to normal usage.
These fines and smaller particles tend to bind the sand and lower its impact attenuating performance.
When children use the playground, sand degradation can occur when sand produces fines and smaller particles with low sphericity and angular which fill the voids between the sand particles. There is a deficiency with existing IAS test methods in that they do not take account of sand degradation over time. There are three primary IAS materials used, namely: granulated rubber products, wood fibre products, and sand. To lower the likelihood and severity of injury, impact attenuating surfaces (IAS) are installed within the impact area (fall zone). Falls within children’s playgrounds result in long bone and serious injuries.
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