‘Ensure the safety of children’s playgrounds’

PETALING JAYA: There is an urgent need for all local authorities to be proactive and adopt an accident prevention culture to help ensure the safety of children’s playgrounds under their jurisdiction, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

The safety activist said the authorities should not wait until someone, especially a child, was injured before taking action.

“We should not forget the freak accident on Nov 24 (2018) where a 15-year-old girl died when her head was trapped in a swing for the 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 in a statement yesterday.

Lee said that recently, there had been calls for the Standards of Playground Safety Guidelines, which were introduced in 2017, to be made mandatory when planning, designing, building and managing playgrounds.

“Those involved in designing and constructing such facilities should follow the specifications of certified playgrounds developed according to the new Malaysian Standards (MS) requirement, which will be unveiled soon,” he said.