Most parents have safety and health concerns about children’s play equipment
In schools and public parks, but lack choice. That might be about to change
With new generation play units, says Ruth Dsouza Prabhu
It almost have happened to you as a parent at some point – your child comes back home
from the nearby play ground with a cut on her leg that came from sliding down a corroded fiber glass slide. Or howling his head off for having toppled off a swing that was lop-sided. You also would have heard scary stories of over-enthusiastic kids falling off the top of sliding boards that don’t have guard-rails or burning themselves on metal swing seats and slides that have been smoldering in the sun the entire day.
While sometimes we may dismiss this as part of the game and minor, such aspects of play ground safety are actually too dangerous to ignore. While small cuts and scratches are often not enough to drive the point of playground safety home for us, it would be a better idea not to wait for major accidents that lead to broken bones and sometimes even death to bring about a change.
Says Roben Dass, chairman and managing director, Koochie Play Systems, “While some countries have clearly laid out guidelines on how playground equipments are supposed to be manufactured ond installed [such as EN1176 in Europe and ASTM in America],India has no such guidelines or stipulations that are required to be followed. Anybody can manufacture anything and that is used without a second thought. Safety, thus far has been relegated to the background. “Koochie is the only Indo-Asian company that has secured the prestigious. EN1176 certification from Europe for its play units.
The main issue we have with the play units installed in most residential areas today is their questionable durability. The onslaught of weather and of course of several children constantly beating down on these play systems is bound to erode their surfaces in a dangerous way. And that’s why fiber glass surfaces crack, wooden steps splinter and movable parts on swings come loose from their bearings. Molded plastic is the key to building safe units, emphasizes Roben, adding that metal and fiber glass should be completely done away with.
Here is what Roben feels you as a parent should know about safe playground units:
Surfacing is vital: A playground surface should be such that is cushions a child’s fall. Concrete, asphalt, blacktop and even packed earth do not fit the bill and be quite unhygienic. Every playground should ideally have a surface mat that extends around six feet of the playground area.
Design and space: Safe playgrounds are those that are separated based on age group. This ensures that underage children do not have access to units that they should not be on. Spacing between units is also important. One bay should hold only two swings and toddler swing sets should be kept away from everything else. There should be a minimum of 9ft. distance between each play unit.
For elevated units such as slide sets, there should be a maximum fall height of 5 ft for preschoolers and 7ft for school-going children. All the rails installed should be vertical and not horizontal. This prevents adventurous children from climbing higher.
Entrapment-proof: Curious children love to stick their fingers, feet and sometimes even their heads into nooks and corners of play units. Your child can end up stuck or with a serious injury in such cases. Play units have to be designed such to prevent children from getting into such trouble. Precision engineering plays an important role here.
Maintenance: And finally play units need to be constantly inspected and well maintained, irrespective of whether they are on a public playground or a private apartment complex.
What is good to note that several private builders are taking an increased notice of the quality of the play units that are being installed on their properties? It is after all a question of their reputation. But public playgrounds have a long way to go. And as with every big change, it has to come with us taking a stand.