A child welfare group yesterday called for improvements after a survey of public playgrounds showed all 40 failing to pass safety tests.
Injuries from playing in public parks are common, the Jing Chuan Child Safety Foundation said.
Citing figures from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the foundation said that as much as 79 percent of all playground-related injuries resulted from falling from playground equipment, highlighting the importance of maintaining a standard height for playground equipment and safety cushions to prevent fatal injuries.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
The foundation recently surveyed 40 public parks and recreation centers in eight cities and counties to determine whether the surfaces of playgrounds, which are mostly paved with soft rubber, are safe.
The foundation hired SGS, an independent inspection and testing company, to conduct tests such as surface-impact attenuation to determine whether risks of fatal head injuries were within reasonably safety limits.
None of the parks and recreation centers passed the safety tests.
Foundation chief executive Lin Yue-chin (林月琴) said the three most dangerous playgrounds were located in Kaohsiung.
“Kaohsiung City’s Central Park is the most dangerous. The HIC [head injury criterion] is six times higher than safety regulations allow for. Children who fall from the playground equipment could suffer skull fractures and other injuries,” she said.
The foundation also found that many of the playground pavements had formed ditches where water and weeds could collect between cracks. In many instances, the soft rubber pavement was worn and hardened from years of use and was in dire need of replacement, Lin said.
Chen Li-yu (陳歷渝), an interior design instructor at Chung Yuan Christian University, told the press conference that many parks and playground planners in the country only focused on the visual appeal or functions of the equipment, while overlooking the fact that safety was the most important aspect.
“Although the law requires that playgrounds undergo regular inspections, in reality, few inspections are carried out because of limited resources,” he said.
The foundation called on officials to take children’s safety seriously and undertake improvements to prevent serious or fatal injuries.
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