Playground Safety in Canada: Preventative, Proactive, Progressive

It's my sincere hope that someday we will address playground safety like this in Hawaii. This is a health organization in Canada who has recognized the benefits of injury prevention.

Health unit investing in playground safety
November 17, 2004

By Melanie Béchard

The Northwestern Health Unit has hired a certified playground equipment inspector to look at playgrounds belonging to municipalities, school boards, and day care centres across the region. “We’re really excited about it,” said Paula Sanders, a health promoter in injury prevention with the health unit. “We think it’s a really important project.” The health unit had some funding earmarked for injury reduction in children and spoke to some organizations about how best to put that money to use. “One thing some people in the recreation field identified were playgrounds,” noted Alan Howie, chair of the Ontario Sunset Country Recreation Association as well as manager of community services for Sioux Lookout. “Playgrounds have come under a lot of reviews with CSA [Canadian Standard Association] standards,” he added. “There’s been a lot of discussion over the last number of years, not just in Northwestern Ontario but across the country, about these standards and a number of communities removed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of playgrounds.” Here in Fort Frances, for instance, the town removed all equipment from the Phair Avenue park in July, as well as removed some equipment from the Front Street and Lillie Avenue parks. A swing set at the Legion park was replaced with a newer model compliant with CSA standards. The inspections are a continuation of other initiatives by the health unit to improve playground safety. “The health unit over the last couple of years has assisted communities in funding their staff to go to playground safety training programs and become certified so they can help review and assess current situations and look at future developments in playgrounds,” Howie noted. Injuries from playground equipment is not uncommon in Canada. Safe Kids Canada reports there have been 18 playground deaths across the country since 1982. Seventeen of them were due to strangulation, such as when loose clothing gets caught on equipment, while the other was due to a head fracture. More than 28,500 children are treated annually in emergency departments and hospitals across Canada for playground-related injuries, including fractures, spinal injuries, and concussion. Almost 70 percent of non-fatal playground injuries are caused by falls. Once the decision was made to go ahead with the project, the Northwestern Health Unit contacted area municipalities, school boards, and day care centres to ask if they wanted to participate. Many did and Peter Kells, the certified playground inspector hired by the health unit, is visiting about 50 playgrounds throughout Northwestern Ontario this fall. He was in Fort Frances last month inspecting ground surfaces under the equipment before the ground froze. On Monday morning, he was inspecting the equipment at Robert Moore School here and explained some of the things he looks for. For instance, Kells tests the surface under playground equipment—usually sand—to determine how soft it is. Some materials are better at dissipating the blow from an impact, reducing the likelihood of head injury. Kells said he also checks for how much area is covered with sand around each piece of equipment. He uses plastic gauges to make sure there are no head entrapments, where a child’s head or neck could become caught and cause strangulation. Kells also checks for any pieces that stick out that could puncture the skin or cause internal bleeding, and ensures barriers are at the right height. In his written report, Kells said he uses a hazard rating system to identify high- and low-risk equipment. “It’s not an exact tool. It’s more of a judgment tool. It’s subjective,” he noted. Kells stressed he does not consider himself “the playground police.” He has no authority to enforce the CSA standards. In fact, there is no legislation to enforce them. They are voluntary standards, but ones which insurance companies and the courts often use as a benchmark. “The CSA standard has become the minimum measure,” he said. “But the CSA standard is not just about injury prevention. It’s about striking a balance between injury prevention and play opportunity for children. “At the end of the day, you’re not building playgrounds for lawyers. “I’m not here as playground police. I give information to help organizations make decisions and set priorities,” Kells added. “It’s all about trying to create positive play opportunities for children.” Following his inspections, Kells will submit a written report of his findings to the Northwestern Health Unit. But this won’t necessarily result in widespread changes. “Nobody ever has enough money to do everything they want to do,” he noted. The individual municipalities, school boards, and day care centres will have to decide—based on their programming—which issues they want to address first.