Article in TOI-Delhi,
Noida edition by CMD
ROBEN DASS gives pointers on just what constitutes a safe public playground space

Play units are a child’s primary energy outlet. But a cursory glance around will show you the sorry state of units that are around for children — broken, rusted, dented and abused units that are nowhere near safe for our children. Safety in play systems seems to have taken a back seat with a lot of substandard units being put up everywhere. Unlilke other countries India has no guidelines or stipulations that are required to be followed while manufacturing or setting up children’s play area equipment.

When you consider a city like Mumbai, space is at the utmost premium. The city centre has hardly any space left and in that, finding a patch of ground to erect an aesthetically designed, safe play system can be extremely difficult.

The durability of play systems is often quite questionable considering what we have as examples in our environment today. Most of them are old, shabby; have their fibreglass cracking in places, wooden planks missing and movable parts ready to fall off.

The weather too plays a hand in how these play systems meet their end. The humidity in the air promotes corrosion as well as wear and tear. In our present conditions, play units made of metal and fibreglass should be completely cut out. Moulded plastic is the key to building safe units, with precision engineering to ensure aesthetics and safety.

It is heartening to note that there is a slow and steady increase in the understanding of this importance in safety in play systems in Mumbai. Builders of today are largely constructing projects in the outskirts of Mumbai where space is still available.

No Child Play

There is a great deal of importance given to aesthetically designed safe play equipment. In fact there is a growing trend amongst builders today to invest in safe play systems. As parents, here are four important aspects you can evaluate when you take your child to the play area next. They are:

Surface
Design and spacing
Equipment inspection
Maintenance

GOOD SURFACES: Having good playground surfaces goes a long way in reducing injuries and their severity. The surface designated for the child to land should be soft and thick enough to cushion a child. Surfacing of concrete, asphalt, and even blacktop are complete taboos. Surfaces made of grass or soil, or even packedearth can be unhygienic and unsafe.

With varying weather conditions their durability and performance levels can be questionable. Surface mats extending around six feet of the playground area are unbeatable in terms of the kind of safety they provide.

EVALUATING DESIGN AND SPACE: The safest of playgrounds is where units are segregated based on age. One space should not overlap into the other. This prevents underage kids from playing on systems that are not meant for them. Evaluate the design of a playground unit. Any elevated surface has to be protected with guardrails that meet international standards in terms of design and size. Swings and see-saws should be at least nine feet apart. Toddler bucket swings should not be mixed with others. Two swings a bay gives sufficient moving space for children. Elevated play units should have a maximum fall height of 5 ft for preschoolers and 7ft for schoolgoing children. Also it is advisable to have vertical guard rails on elevated units rather than horizontal to prevent children from climbing higher.

EQUIPMENT INSPECTION: Make sure that there is no part of the play system where a curious child can stick in his head, arm, finger or any other body part where he or she may get trapped or stuck. Look closely at moving play set parts that could pinch or crush your child’s hands, feet or fingers.

MAINTENANCE: Finally check on how well maintained and regularly inspected these play systems are. This is irrespective of whether it is a home play area or a public one. The equipment should not be broken. Look out for splinters on pieces made of wood and for rusting on metal based surfaces. Sand boxes should be checked for dirt and broken debris.

The author is managing director, Koochie Play Systems International

Ensure play areas in parks are safe

Bangalore: It is vacation time. But how safe are play equipment in your parks? What could be done to make playing an enjoyable experience?

Incidents in the past are grave reminders of how our parks are. In 2008, 24-year old Ayesha Abdul Razzaq Byadgi died when she tried to save her child who slipped off during an amusement ride at Bal Bhavan Cubbon Park. In another incident, a child was killed when a bench broken in Vidyaranyapura Park. Not even kid’s death will perhaps wake up authorities to make children’s spaces safer. Parks in Bangalore cry for maintenance. Though the horticulture department maintains the landscape and lawns in parks, playground equipment in most are in pathetic condition.

For instance, the slide in Coles Park is broken and broken swings are tied with clothes. While civic authorities are oblivious of this, children are unaware of the danger and continue to play.

Lack of safety standards in manufacturing and placing playground equipment in parks is one of the reasons why such green spaces have become dangerous. Robin Das, chairman and MD, Koochie Play Systems, said there are no standards followed in selecting playground equipment for public places in India.

THE SAFETY STANDARDS
As per international standards framed out by US Consumer Product Safety Commission: “there should be protective surfacing. Almost 60% of the injuries are caused by falls, protective surfacing under and around all playground equipment is the most crucial safety factor. Certain loose-fill surfacing materials are acceptable.”

On the other hand,fall zone should be covered with a protective covering material. Stationary climbing equipment and slides should have a fall zone extending a minimum of six feet in all directions from the perimeter of the equipment. There must be guard rails to ensure a child sits down before using the slide. Swings should also have a fall zone of 6 feet from the outer edge of the support structures. As per the international standards playgrounds should be inspected on regular basis.

WE WILL FOCUS ON MAINTENANCE
Maintenance of playground equipment and parks is given to a contractor for a specified period/ it is true that parks are badly maintained. In order to monitor them, we have called for tenders again. They’ll be finalized in another 8-10 days. We will remove the damaged playground equipment and install new ones in these parks. Their maintenance will be carried out the zonal level in Bangalore.

RWAs SHOULD MONITOR
There are at least 710 parks in Bangalore alone. Though there are international standards for manufacturing and placing of playground equipment in parks, there are no set standards in Bangalore.
BBMP should not wash its hands oo saying that it is the responsibility of contractors. Resident Welfare associations and community groups should take up monitoring work. A system should be established so that the groups inform civic authorities to take up maintenance work. Civic authorities should also act upon their recommendations

SAFETY STANDARDS MUST BE FOLLOWED
In India, there are many who manufacture slides that are 10 and 12 feet high. These are not safe as critical injuries result from children falling off such tall slides, it is also important to use prescribed safety flooring. Further more, it is important to ensure that safety barriers and guard rails are made to stipulated heights as insufficient heights will allow children to climd and fall over to other side of the playground unit.

Roben Das | chairman & MD,
KOOCHIE PLAY SYSTEMS WHICH MAKES PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENTS.

This week on Young Turks Dream Decade we go On The Road to meet Roben Dass of Koochie Play Systems, the only Indian company that designs and builds outdoor playground equipment certified to International standards.

Mr Roben Dass and Pierre Yves Renior, at the launch of Koochie Play Systems International in Bangalore.

Bengaluru, Karnataka, February 17, 2011 – India PRwire

“We want to bring about a change in perspective when it comes to causes behind playground injuries. We have gained tremendous experience in the design and manufacture of our products in order to adhere to international standards. We would like to bring that experience and technology here, “said Roben Dass, Chairman and Managing Director, Koochie Play Systems International while formally introducing the company and its international expansion plans here today.

Speaking on the lack of importance given to safety measures being implemented in playground systems Roben Dass said, “While some countries have clearly laid out guidelines on how playground equipments are supposed to be designed. Manufactured and 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.”

In the absence of stipulated guidelines, chaos ensues, this brings about accidents. Safety, thus far has been relegated to the background. Koochie Play Systems aims to be the harbinger of change. In a move towards this, Koochie Play Systems is hosting a series of complementary training workshops starting with their first one in Mumbai. For builders, architects and interior designers on the 18^th of February.”

Koochie Play Systems wants to be able to penetrate Tier 2 and 3 cities more effectively. They also plan exploring a distributor /  franchise model to reach these regions. Pierre-Yves Renoir, International Business Director, Koochie Play Systems International (France), adds, “internationally we are targeting South America, South Africa and a deeper penetration into the Middle East. We aim to become the leader in Middle East Eastern Europe by 2015. It’s a real challenge but not totally unrealistic if we consider our recent innovations, certifications, product designs and the new deveiopments that we have been working on. We are looking at an additional $5 million dollars in the coming years to fund our growth requirements.”

Growth plans: As far as performance in existing markets is concerned, Koochie Play Systems has received tremendous response from most of the premium builders segment, pan India. Most reputed builders, pan India, now consistently use Koochie Play Systems in their projects. Most of them are willing to look at quality products that meet international standards to provide for their clientele.

Roben Dass said, “Whenever Koochie Play Systems has worked  with a builder or school, till date, we have received repeat orders from all of them as they are happy with our quality and service. We are investing keenly in adding infrastructure and personnel right from design stage to installation to support our business growth.”

Koochie Play Systems wants to dispel the notion that such world class quality and service as it provides comes at a prohibitive price. Roben Dass says,”this is a myth, when you compare apples to apples we are actually much cheaper. You need to compare Koochie Play Systems with international brands and when you do so we are at least 45% cheaper. For e.g. multi play systems are sold for twice the price that we sell here in Europe.”

Talking numbers: The initial investment  for Koochie Play Systems was close to around $5 million which largely went towards manufacturing of moulds. Koochie Play Systems has been approached on a regular basis by several companies seeking a joint venture with the hope of lever aging the brand to provide various allied products however, the company for now has decided to focus all its energies and resources on playground equipment.

Koochie Play Systems eyes USD 20 million revenues by 2015

Bangalore – based playground equipment maker Koochie Play System is on an expansion drive both in the domestic and global markets with an eye on clocking a revenue of USD 20 million (around Rs 85 crore) in the next five years.

The firm plans to enter North and South America, South Africa and Europe in the next fiscal, while it will also foray into eastern India besides streghtening its presence in the north.

“ We expect our revenues to grow to USD 5 million by naxt fiscal and touch USD 20 million by 2015,” Koochie Play Systems CMD Robben Dass told PTI.

For the financial year 2010-11 the company expects to touch USD 1 million revenues. At the moment the company has its presence in 6 countries.

Publication: Times of India (Mumbai)
Date: 19/03/2011 Page 6

ROBEN DASS gives pointers on just what constitutes a safe public playground space for children.

Play units are a child’s primary energy outlet. But a cursory glance around will show you the sorry state of units that are around for children-broken, rusted, dented and abused units that are now here near safe for our children. Safety in play systems seems to have taken a back seat with a lot of substandard units be3ing put up everywhere. Unlike other countries India has no guidelines or stipulations that are required to be followed while manufacturing or setting up children’s play area equipment.

When you consider a city like Mumbai, Space is at the utmost premium. The city centre has hardly any space left and in that, finding a patch of ground to erect an aesthetically designed, safe play system can be extremely difficult.

The durability of play systems is often quite questionable considering what we have as examples in our environment today. Most of them are old, shabby: have their fibre glass cracking in places, wooden planks missing and movable parts ready to fall off. The weather too plays a hand in how these play systems meet their end. The humidity in air promotes corrosion as well as wear and tear. In our present conditions, play units made of metal and fiberglass should be completely cut out. Molded plastic is the key to building safe units, with precision engeneering to ensure aesthetics and safety.

It is heartening to note that there is a slow and steady increase in the understanding of this importance in safety in play systems in play systems in Mumbai where space is still available. There is a great deal of  importance given to aesthetically designed safe play equipment. In fact there is a growing trend amongst builders today to invest in safe play systems.

As parents, here are four important aspects you con evaluate when you take your child to the play area next. They are:

>>Surface

>>Design and spacing

>>Equipment inspection

>>Maintenance

GOOD SURFACES: Having good playground surfaces goes a long way in reducing injuries and their severity. The surface designated for the child to land should be soft and thick enough to cushion a child. Surfacing of concrete, asphalt, and even black top are complete taboos. Surfaces made of grass or soil, or even packed earth can be unhygienic and unsafe. With varying weather conditions their durability and performance levels can be questionable. Surface mats extending around six feet of the playground area are unbeatable in terms of the kind of safety they provide.

EVALUATING DESIGN AND SPACE: The safest  of playgrounds is where units are segregated based on age. One space should not over lap into the other. This prevents underage kids from playing on systems that are not meant for them. Evaluate the design of a playground unit. Any elevated surface has to be protected with guardrails that meet international standards in terms of design and size. Swings and seesaws should be atleast nine feet apart. Toddler bucket swings should not be mixed with others. Two swings a bay gives sufficient moving space for children. Elevated play units should have a maximum fall height of 5ft for preschoolers and 7ft for school-going children. Also it is advisable to have vertical guard rails on elevated units rather than horizontal to prevent children from climbing higher.

EQUIPMENT INSPECTION:Make sure that there is no part of play system where a curious child can stick in his head, arm, finger or any other body part where he or she may get trapped or stuck. Look closely at moving play set parts that could pinch or crush your child’s hands, feet or fingers.

MAINTENANCE:Finally check on how well maintained and regularly inspected these play systems are. This is irrespective of whether it is a home play area or a public one. The equipment should not be broken. Look out for splinters on pieces made of wood and for rusting on metal based surfaces. Sand boxes should be checked for dirt and broken debris.

The Author Managing Director. Koochie Play Systems International.

Publication: TOI (Times Property)
Date: 25/03/2011 Page 14

Roben Dass explains what constitutes a safe playground space for children

Play units are a child’s primary energy outlet. But a cursory glance around will show you the sorry state of units that are around for children-broken, rusted, dented and abused units that are nowhere near safe for our children. Safety in play systems seems to have taken a back seat with a lot of substandard units being put up everywhere. Unlike other countries India has no guidelines or stipulations that are required to be followed while manufacturing or setting up children’s play area equipment.

The durability of play systems is quite questionable considering what we have as examples in our environment today. Most of them are old, shabby; have their fibre-glass cracking in places, wooden planks missing and movable parts ready to fall off. The weather too plays a hand in how these play systems meet their end. The humidity in the air promotes corrosion as well as wear and tear. In our present conditions, play units made of metal and fibre-glass should be completely cut out. Molded plastic is the key to building safe units. With precision engineering to ensure aesthetics and safety.

It is heartening to note that there is a slow and steady increase in the understanding of this importance in safety in play systems in Mumbai. Builders of today are largely constructing projects in the outskirts of Mumbai where space is still available. There is a great deal of importance given to aesthetically designed safe play equipment. In fact there is a growing trend amongst builders today to invest in safe play systems.

As parents, here are four important aspects you take your child to the play area next. They are surface, Design and spacing, Equipment inspection, Maintenance.

Clean surface; having good playground surfaces goes a long way in reducing injuries and their severity. The surface designated for the child to land should be soft and thick enough to cushion a child. Surfacing of concrete, asphalt, and even blacktop are complete taboos. Surfaces made of grass or soil, or even packed earth can be unhygienic and unsafe. With varying weather conditions their durability and performance level can be questionable. Surface mats extending around six feet of the playground area are unbeatable in terms of the kind of safety they provide.

Evaluating design and space: The safest of playgrounds is where units are segregated based on age. One space should not overlap into the other. This prevents underage kids from  playing on systems that are not meant for them. Evaluate the design of a playground unit. Any elevated surface has to be protected with guard rails that meet international standards in terms of design and size. Swings and seesaws should be atleast nine feet apart, toddler bucket swings should not be mixed with others. Two swings a bay gives sufficient moving space for children. Elevated play units should have a maximum fall height of 5 feet for preschoolers and 7 feet for school-going children. Also it is advisable to have vertical guard rails on elevated units rather than horizontal to prevent children from climbing higher.

Equipment selection: Make sure that there is no part of the play system where a curious child can stick in his head, arm finger or any other body part where he or she may get trapped or stuck. Look closely at moving play set parts that could pinch or crush your child’s hands, feet or fingers.

Maintenance: finally check on how well maintained and regularly inspected these play systems are. This is irrespective of whether it is a home play area or a public one. The equipment should not be broken. Look out for splinters on pieces made of wood and for rusting on metal based surfaces. Sand boxes should be checked for dirt and broken debris.

Publication: The Hindu
Date: 19/02/2011 Page 4

Providing risk-free play equipment for children is a challenging task. A look by MEGHA BASAVARAJ.

Playgrounds are a child’s paradise where it spends a majority of its free time. But did you know that the slides, swings, see-saws, merry-go rounds, mazes and other play stations could cause grave injuries to the child? How safe is the playground your child plays in?

Non-fatal injuries are caused to the child when they fall while playing in unsafe playgrounds. From 1990 to 2000, at least 147 children have died from playground equipment related injuries. Nearly 70 percent of these deaths occurred on unsafe playgrounds. About 45 percent of injuries are severe, which includes fractures, internal injuries, concussions, dislocations and amputations. With such mishaps looming over a child, parents and school need to exercise  caution while setting up equipment for the playground.

Most countries have clearly laid the guidelines on the manufacturing and installation of playground equipment. The European Standards for playground Equipment EN1176 is implemented in Europe and the American society for testing and materials (ASTM) in the U.S. no such guidelines or regulations are drafted in India for playgrounds for park, schools and apartments.

“play ground equipment are manufactured in India without a second thought about the safety of the children using the equipment. In the absence of stipulated guidelines, chaos ensures, causing accidents. Safety has been relegated to the background,” rues Robin Dass, Chairman and managing Director, Koochie Play Systems International. The company’s products can be seen at Euro Kids, Shloka montessary House, Amity School and Birla School in Bangalore.

Meeting international standards

Koochie Play Systems International manufacturers outdoor playground equipment that meets international standards in terms of quality, design and safety. It has the EN1176 certification and has presence in six countries. It is a 9001-2008 certified company.

Pierre-Yves Renior, Director, International Business Development, France Koochie Play systems, said “the metal components are given four course treatments, Virgin LLDPT virgin plastic from Samsung is used to manufacture the equipment.our company offers consultancy, design and implementation.”

The EN 1176 states some important safety requirements and test procedures while designing swings,slides cableways and carousels. Head and neck place should be present in the playstations so that the child doesn’t get stuck in them. The slides should be of adequate height and there should be barriers on the slide. No obstructive or protruding materials should be present in the equipment. The metal used must not contain lead. The flooring should handle the impact of the fall without causing harm to the child.

Publication: The Hindu (Property plus)
Date: 12/03/2011 Page4

Most of the existing multi-play units don’t pass even the minimum quality and safety requirements, says PIERRE YVES RENOIR

At first look, every play area may seem to be perfect multi-colored, the perfect combination of all games that children like and seemingly harmless. But on closer inspection most existing multi-play units don’t pass even the minimum quality and safety requirements. Play units today can be installed in apartments, schools, hotels, resorts and possibly any outlet that needs to entertain the children of their patrons. Investments are huge and therefore you will want your play area units to measure up to every conceivable quality and safety standard. Here is what you should be looking into.

Materials: products made of fibre glass, wood and in some cases even stone are a complete no-no, all these materials tend to chip, splinter and even break under pressure and that can lead to several injuries or fatalities. You know you have a great play area unit when the upright posts are ideally made of flow coated/hot dip galvanished steel with an outer diameter of 114mm (base plates too have to be the same proportions).the quality of the steel has to be the technical standard of BS1387-1985. the posts will have to be powder coated in roto-moulded plastic with virgin LLDPE. This makes the unit weather-proof and extremely durable. Clamps and couplings have to be made of pre-trested,cured and sand-blasted aluminum.

In term of workmanship, all surfaces that require welding have high grade precision work on your play area unit. Such welding is needed for games such as the spiral climber, the top rails of swings, monkey bars as well as swinging stones.

Fall heights and safety precautions: there should be no randomness in the height of slides and monkey bars in a multi-play unit. Ideal play area units are segregated on the basis of age with pre-scholars and school children being placed far apart. Fall height for pre-scholars should be five feet. and for school-going children, seven ft. besides this the equipment should be fitted thus to prevent the chance of falling.

Protecting barriers and vertical guard rails should be installed on all raised surfaces. The surfaces of guard rails have to be peaked or curved as this prevents children from using it as a play surface.

Safety floorings: sand is so commonly used as a safety mat of sorts that it has been accepted as part of the norm. The fact remains that sand is not fool-proof when it comes to preventing accidents. Also it is extremely unhygienic. A good playground will have safety mats that extend up to six ft. from the actual unit. It should be made of non-toxic EPDM. Play cushions that have no visible interlocking system can also be used.

These should be non-flammable, slip-resistant and have indentation besides being extremely durable. Having play mats that are internationally certified such as BS7188 and BS EN 1177 will give you better value for money.

Certifications: having international standards of safety certifications is the best way to ensure that will stand the test of time. You are after all concerned about the integrity of your organization and what you offer.

Certifications such as the EN1176 of the European Union and AST of the U.S. must be looked into to ensure that the best quality. It means that you know your standards when it comes to safety and quality.

(The author is the International Director of a playground Design and manufacturing company in France. He can be reached on design@koochieplay.com)

Publication: The Hindu (Property Plus)
Date: 12/03/2011 Page 4

Safety parameters at the play area for children are aspects that should not be taken for granted. some guidelines by market expert PIERRE YVES RENOIR

As parent’s nothing can be more important than the safety and wellbeing of our children. Whether enjoying an evening at home or fun time at the play area of your apartment complex. You will always have a watchful eye out. Here are some simple ways in which you can evaluate the safety level of your child’s play area.

Three main checks that you need to carry out are:

*Scan the surfaces

*Check the aesthetics and manoeuvrability

*Inspect the equipment regularly

Ideal play area surfacing goes a long way in bringing down the number of injuries as well as their intensity. The surface on which the child lands must be soft and thick to better cushion a child’s fall. A surfacing of concrete, asphalt, or even the commonly used blacktop is rather ineffective, Surfaces that are made of grass, soil, or even packed earth tend to be unhygienic. such  surfaces also become stable when exposed to the elements. A surface mat beneath a play system is an unbeatable safety element. It needs to extend to at least six feet around the play area for best effect.

First and foremost, any child play equipment must not be made of metal or fiber glass. It must necessarily be molded plastic which is the key to building safe units, with precision engineering to ensure aesthetics as well as safety.

When looking over the design and aesthetics of a play system check to see that all elevated surfaces are protected with guard rails. These have to be of internationally stipulated sizes and vertical rather than horizontal to prevent children from climbing them.

Also look out for movable parts that may have come loose or parts which have contraptions that heighten the risk of your child’s head, fingers or toes getting caught. Dress your children carefully when you take them to the play area. Avoid outfits with cords or belts as these could get stuck in moving parts of the play area.

Also, any play area has to be segregated on the basis of age. This means that children of one age group are kept far away from activities that are meant for another age group.

Inspect the equipment

And last but not the least, ensure that your child’s play area undergoes regular inspection and maintenance repairs. No part of the play area should be covered with strong fencing to keep away curious older children.

If you find any of these are not being adhered to, inform your builder or the apartment owners association promptly to take action.

Unlike other countries, India is yet to take up play area safety legally. A change in mindset can be brought about with individual acceptance of what is good for our children. Since our children are too small to worry about safety. It falls on us to make sure their play time remains memorable.

(The author is international Director of a playground equipment design and manufacturing company based in France)