By Paul Yandall
Poor playground equipment design and inadequate warnings are to blame for Jade Holmes' shattered leg, says her mother.
Jade, aged 14 months, is in a cast up to her chest after breaking her femur at the Manurewa Recreation Centre when she fell from a park swing.
Her injuries come in
the same week that an Auckland girl nearly strangled herself on her school's playground bars. And in April, a Manurewa boy died after getting caught in clothing tied to the school's outdoor climbing equipment.
Lisa Holmes said the chain guards used on the baby swings were useless for keeping smaller children in the seat. Children under 2 could easily fall out as they were not strong enough to grip the chain when swinging.
The park had no signs to warn parents that the swings might be dangerous for smaller children, said Mrs Holmes. Since the accident she had spoken to others whose children had fallen.
But a Manukau City Council spokeswoman, Diane Maloney, said she was unaware that smaller children were slipping out of the swings. The small swings were popular, she said, and the only problem she had heard of was larger children getting stuck in them.
"We regularly audit all our playgrounds and inspect them on a weekly basis, but we haven't had a lot of accidents brought to our attention," she said.
Safety measures in playgrounds had been increased and were taken seriously by the council, said Mrs Maloney. The number of accidents reported was small considering the council managed 140 playgrounds.
A playground injury specialist, Dr David Chalmers, said that despite the increase in safety measures the injury rate had risen over the years. The reason appeared to be the big increase in playground equipment.
"There's a lot more equipment out there, so a lot more children are playing and being exposed to injury," he said.
But Mrs Holmes believes the council has not done enough to warn parents of playground dangers. The council had to make it clear that the swings were unsuitable for smaller children.
"If it is a baby swing then it needs to be modified, but if it's for 2-year-olds and up then there should be signs telling people."
