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Playing safe on the playground Reaching out for a safer community in Western Ontario Framework of E-code groupings for presenting injury mortality data A comparison of injuries on various types of playground equipment
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Playing safe on the playgroundby Sally Lockhart, Program Consultant, Safe and Supportive Environments, Childhood and Youth Division
Not very long ago, the prevalent attitude toward playground injuries was that they were a natural consequence of play; the deaths, however, were not. Since 1982, 16 children have died after being strangled with drawstrings or loose clothing caught on equipment or fencing, or by skipping ropes that have been tied to playground equipment. One child died after being strangled by the chin strap of a cycling helmet; the helmet became wedged between two parts of a playground structure. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has developed a consensus standard for the design, installation and maintenance of public play equipment, which, if adhered to, should minimize the risk of death and injury to children. It resulted from a national consensus of producers and users, including manufacturers, consumers, retailers, and representatives from professional organizations and governments. Most manufacturers have adopted the CSA standard or elements of it. Municipalities and other playground owners are encouraged to apply the safety requirements of the CSA standard to their existing playgrounds. The CSA standard is currently under revision and being harmonized with the U.S. playground standard, creating a uniform approach to playground safety in the two countries. When the new standard is released in 1998, many activities and training opportunities will take place to further promote its adoption and consistent use in Canada. Health Canada's Product Safety Bureau, in addition to being involved in the development of playground equipment standards, has instigated a two-pronged approach to address the problem of strangulation on playground equipment. The Bureau has released an information bulletin to parents and caregivers about strangulation hazards associated with such things as drawstrings, clothing and ropes tied to playground equipment, which includes instructions for removing drawstrings from clothing and ropes tied to playground equipment, and recommends tucking in all loose clothing. The Bureau continues to work with industry to eliminate drawstrings from children's clothing. Health Canada's Child, Youth and Family Health Unit established an Interdepartmental Working Group on Childhood Injury Prevention in 1992. Transport Canada, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Statistics Canada, Health Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Parks Canada are members at this time. The group's subcommittee on playground safety provided input to Play Spaces for Preschoolers and Play Opportunities for School-Age Children 6-14, published by CMHC. What else is happening across the country to address playground injuries, the majority of which are due to falls? Playground equipment injuries account for 10% of injuries to 5 to 9 year olds (see "A comparison of injuries on various types of playground equipment," ), and there is a groundswell of interest and concerted activity to reduce this figure. Research is showing that adequate and appropriate surfacing plays a significant role in reducing injuries from falls from play equipment, as does modifying equipment. The Ontario School Boards Insurance Exchange has not had a claim for a swing seat injuring a child since schools replaced all swing seats with soft ones. Supervision and a code of conduct for playing safe also help to reduce the incidence of injury. Unfortunately, as detailed in the recent Health Canada document Parental Attitudes Toward Unintentional Childhood Injuries, parents still feel that "risk-taking and getting hurt are naturally occurring aspects of play.... Children will get hurt during play, some children more so than others, depending on the individual characteristics of the child, and it is legitimate that parents not be expected to provide constant supervision of children, thereby placing children at some risk of injury." It is clear that there is major work to be done to address these attitudes if parental support is to be garnered to decrease the incidence of playground injuries. Modifying equipment and improving surfacing will go a long way, but will not remedy all problems. In August 1997, the Canadian Parks/Recreation Association, with funding from Health Canada's Fitness/Active Living Unit, SAFE KIDS Canada, the CSA, and a number of corporate partners, hosted the first Canadian Playground Safety Institute meeting in St. John's, Newfoundland. This one-day conference brought together approximately 100 elected officials, parks and recreation employees, health and safety professionals, lawyers, educators and government representatives to look at the scope of playground injuries and the range of interventions available to reduce them. Participants also learned about the potential liability problems for playground owners should they not take action to make their equipment safer. Presentations were also made on the factors that should be addressed in the planning of a new or retrofitted play space, the policies needed to ensure compliance with the CSA standard, and the follow-up needed to ensure long-term compliance. The presentations also discussed the natural environment (i.e. location, access and environmental issues) and the playground area itself (i.e. age-appropriateness, spacing and surfacing). Presenters acknowledged that no matter how safe a play space is designed to be, children do not always use the equipment as it was intended, and addressed skill levels, behaviour, and most importantly, supervision in their presentations. A health representative from the Calgary Injury Prevention Coalition presented case studies that discussed surfacing and, in particular, a program called Soft Landings. A recreation specialist involved with Nova Scotia's Fair and Safe Play initiative and an underwriting and marketing coordinator for the Ontario School Boards Insurance Exchange also presented case studies. Representatives from the legal and insurance fields demonstrated how playground owners could institute a risk-management plan and explained the legal liability owners face. The day ended with recommendations for future action, including continued networking and the development of a Canadian certification program for playground inspectors. Participants also suggested holding smaller workshops across the country on practical "how-to" ideas and legal liability. Participants went away with a tremendous amount of information and a sense that there are others, in their communities and throughout Canada, with a vested interest in addressing the problem of playground injuries. They also went away knowing that there is no single solution to the problem, that a multifaceted approach is needed. Each participant received an information package outlining the presentations and including recent articles by Canadians and others working in the field, a CHIRPP report on playground equipment injuries (see summary on page 7), copies of the Hazardous Products Act and Towards a Common Understanding: Clarifying the Core Concepts of Population Health, detailed information on risk management, the 10 commandments for creating a safer play space, and information on a number of community-based projects, including the Canadian Intramural Recreation Association Safer Playground resource, Kids Don't Bounce from IM-PACT in Winnipeg, and the SAFE KIDS Canada Child's Play video and resource for parents and community groups. Health Canada, though the Fitness/ Active Living Unit, will be supporting the follow-up from the Institute meeting, and the planning committee has agreed to act as a steering committee, bringing new players on board and setting up task groups as needed to develop a comprehensive approach to playground injury prevention in Canada. It is hoped that this is just the beginning of many more partnerships and activities that will work in unison to make playgrounds safer places for children.
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Last Updated: 2001-02-16 |  |
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Each
year, more than 10,000 Canadian children are injured on playgrounds. Many
of these children require hospitalization, and, tragically, some die. Since
CHIRPP began providing the rich detail on circumstances surrounding these
injuries, it is now possible to focus interventions more effectively.