Many new estates and sectional title complexes offer children’s playgrounds now as an added attraction for parents concerned about the safety of public parks and recreation facilities.
However, with school holidays coming up again, now might be a good time for the home owners’ association (HOA) directors or body corporate trustees to check that the equipment and surroundings in their play area are really as safe as they think – or risk facing third-party injury claims against their insurance.
Statistics show that a considerable proportion of children’s injuries every year – including concussions, dislocations, fractures, internal injuries and even amputations – result from playing on faulty jungle gyms, slides, swings, tree houses and rope ladders.
However, there is much that can be done to prevent these disasters. The following checklist will make the task easier:
Parents and childminders should also be reminded to ensure that older children are taught to obey safety rules such as not walking in front of moving swings, and that younger children are preferably fully-supervised at all times while using the playground equipment.
