SINGAPORE: Playgrounds here will be made safer for children when new safety standards are issued in the first half of this year, said SPRING Singapore on Thursday (Jan 12).
The agency said it is in the process of revising those standards “in line with new technological changes and safety practices.”
This comes as more playground-related accidents are being seen at the Children’s Emergency Department at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). The hospital manages the majority of moderate to severe injuries among children in Singapore.
“The number of cases have been high,” said KKH. It saw about 2,000 cases each year in 2012 and 2013. But the number rose to more than 2,500 each year, from 2014 to 2016.
Some of the additional safety requirements proposed include having extra protective barriers for playground equipment which are of certain heights, and installing all anchoring devices – such as nuts, bolts and cables – below ground level to prevent children from tripping over them, said SPRING.
The set of safety guidelines in Singapore is known as SS 457: 2007. It specifies requirements relating to the “design, installation and maintenance of public play equipment,” according to SPRING.
The guidelines were last updated in 2007. While they are not mandatory for all playgrounds, those provided by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) are required to meet the safety standards.
CONSULTANTS APPOINTED TO DESIGN HDB PLAYGROUNDS
According to HDB, playgrounds were generally designed in-house by HDB from the 1970s until the early 1990s. From 2003, HDB guides appointed consultants in designing playgrounds in its estates. Town Councils also had a part to play in constructing some playgrounds.
Overall, playgrounds have “evolved creatively over the years in their design, form and function to meet the changing playtime needs of children and families,” said HDB.
Built in the 1970s, the iconic dragon playground at Lorong 6 Toa Payoh was one of the old sandpit variety playgrounds.
A playground specialist said striking a balance between safety and adventure remains a challenge.
“We try to change the design of standard poles and platforms and create a much aesthetically interesting playground for the older kids like incorporating higher slides, night climbers, putting in spinners to make it challenging for the older kids,” said Mr Jason Sim, managing director of playground consultancy firm Playpoint.
He added: “In terms of the safety aspect, we try to put in the rubber flooring depending on how high the equipment is. The higher it is, the thicker the mat has to be. The revised guidelines are helpful as they minimise injuries. But also in another aspect, if you design a playground that’s too safe, children will get bored of it.”
According to HDB, playgrounds are purpose-designed for different age groups and provide age-appropriate play equipment for children from two to five years old, and six to 12 years old.
Playgrounds for the younger age group typically comprise equipment for imaginative play, such as spring rockers, play panels or simple play structures with slides, HDB said. “Where space permits in both new and existing housing projects, we may provide more adventurous playgrounds for children in the older age group,” the spokesperson added.
INJURIES ARE PART AND PARCEL OF OUTDOOR PLAY
Meanwhile, Dr Yang Chien-Hui, a senior lecturer from the Early Childhood Education Programme at SIM University, said injuries are part and parcel of outdoor play, and parents must be able to put risks and injuries into perspective.
“We have to remember that everything is also a process of learning, which means that if a child has no experience of getting injured, he doesn’t know how to manage it in future,” she said. “Having an injury is not such a terrible thing because it’s a learning process of children learning to cope, manage and solve it.”
A playground in Singapore. (Photo: Daryl Kang / TODAY)
She added that outdoor play is crucial for a child’s development as it builds their cognitive function, gross and motor skills. The onus is on parents to assess the level of injury a child suffers before seeking medical attention, Dr Yang said.
But most importantly, she said, parents should ensure they are supervising their kids at the playground at all times to help prevent serious accidents from happening.
