KUALA LUMPUR: Local authorities nationwide need to be more proactive and adopt an accident-prevention culture when it comes to children’s playgrounds under their jurisdiction.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said although children’s playground were assumed to be a safe place, safety issues however has become a concern now.
He said data showed that a total of 530 cases of playground-related accidents were reported between 2014 and 2016.
Public Complaints Bureau, he said, had also revealed that the local authorities received 11,231 complaints regarding playgrounds between 2015 and 2016.
He said reported cases include children getting caught by broken playground equipment or fall due to uneven playing surfaces.
Lee said among the proposed solutions by stakeholders was to make the Standards of Playground Safety Guidelines, introduced in 2017, to be made mandatory when planning, designing, building and managing playgrounds.
He said those involved in designing and constructing such facilities should also follow the specifications of certified playgrounds developed according to the new Malaysian Standards (MS) requirement, which will be unveiled soon.
He said four playgrounds were currently being assessed, improved and developed to comply with the MS 966 Playground equipment and MS 2665 Playground Surfacing.
“The authorities should not wait until someone, especially a child, was injured before action is taken.
“We should not forget the freak accident on Nov 24 last year where a 15-year-old girl died when her head was trapped on a swing for disabled and wheelchair users at a playground in Kepong.
“We must always be proactive and not reactive when dealing with any matter that can give rise to accidents or injuries due to negligence or poor maintenance,” he said.
Standards Malaysia Department director-general Datuk Fadilah Baharin was quoted saying that local authorities would be encouraged to use MS 966 and MS 2665 as key references in the planning, development and maintenance of playgrounds.
Lee said eventually, it would provide more factual and evidence-based outcomes to position playground safety as a national agenda in the future.
He said the Street, Drainage & Building Act 1974 (Act 133) and Uniform Building Bylaw 1984 should also be amended so that the safety of playgrounds be included as an additional criteria for the issuance of the Certificate of Completion and Compliance.
As for the time being, he said there should be a thorough safety audit done annually on all playgrounds nationwide to help identify problems on the ground and take necessary actions to avoid mishaps.
Lee, who is also Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation senior vice-chairman, said local authorities, with the help of agencies which had the necessary expertise, should carry out the audit and engage certified playground safety inspectors (CPSI) to work with contractors in regards to installation and maintenance of playgrounds under their jurisdiction.
“The community, particularly parents, must also play their role to help ensure the safety of their children while on playgrounds.
“Parents must always supervise their children when playing with the equipment while the public must immediately lodge a report if they see any problem that could endanger users at a playground,” he said.