Six of 52 playgrounds which have been inspected by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) have been found to be in “an awful state, leading to recommendations for closure, or for equipment to be isolated”, parliamentary secretary Chris Said told a training seminar for inspectors of playgrounds.
RoSPA has been engaged by the government to conduct a series of courses for inspectors of the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) and those identified by local councils to be responsible for the daily routine checks of playground sites.
The MCCAA has been inspecting public playgrounds in Malta and Gozo since last April – there are around 165 playgrounds managed by local councils and to date inspections have been carried out in 52 of these.
Inspection reports are sent to both the local councils concerned and the Department for Local Government. It is the responsibility of the local councils to follow on the recommendations in these reports. “I am pleased to note that as a result of the inspections, a number of local councils are planning to upgrade their playgrounds,” Dr Said said.
All public playgrounds will undergo routine and a comprehensive annual inspection, with the systematic programme of ongoing inspection and maintenance of playgrounds and their equipment enabling local councils to set priorities for repair and replacement of equipment and help maintain the surrounding area in a condition that will not compromise children’s safety.
Dr Said said that for such routine and annual inspections to be carried out as professionally as possible, the Malta Standards Authority, which now forms part of the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, was asked to prepare a standard to be used as the point of reference for the management of playgrounds.
“This is the first standard of its kind in Europe as other similar standards only cover specific equipment and not the management of playgrounds. The standard covers aspects from the designing of playgrounds to the inspection routines required for the upkeep of these playgrounds.
“However, the safety of children on the playgrounds does not depend solely upon the initial design of the site and the selection of equipment. Its continued management and the provision of high quality inspection and maintenance programmes are essential if safe opportunities for children to play creatively are to be preserved.”