Office of Competition and Consumer Protection has summed up the results of playground safety inspection. The total of 16 thousand sites was checked under an international cooperation project. Under a decision of the surveillance authority, part of them will be closed down

For a child and its parents or carers a visit at a playground should evoke only pleasant memories. This is, however, possible only if the site is properly developed and the equipment in good condition. That is why it essential that the playgrounds be under constant care and maintenance and that their supervisors, i.e. administrators, owners and surveillance authorities, fulfill their respective duties.

Recognising the existing risks, representatives of eight countries: Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland, carried out a complex surveillance project covering 16 thousand playgrounds under a year-long joint action co-financed by the European Commission.

As the project initiator, Poland inspected the largest number of sites, i.e. over 13 thousand. Irregularities were found at only 14% of them. It is a good result, especially if compared with the number of faults found by the other project participants. In Bulgaria, out of 5816 playground devices checked, 4000 were incompliant with relevant requirements. In Estonia on average every fifth playground inspected did not meet safety requirements and in Slovakia irregularities were found at 60% of playgrounds.

In Poland, the General Office of Building Control checked the technical performance and general condition of playground infrastructure, while the Trade Inspection controlled the businesses responsible for ensuring the safety of equipment to be installed at playgrounds, i.e. producers, importers and wholesalers.

The most common omission on the part of producers was the failure to provide their customers with the necessary documents: operation, maintenance and assembly manuals. Often, they were also unable to prove that the device they produced was compliant with binding standards. Furthermore, it was found that playground administrators are not aware of their obligations, i.e. they are not aware that under the existing law it is necessary to carry out a thorough inspection once in 5 years. A routine test should be performed at least once a week.

As a result of the surveillance activities in Poland, orders for disassembly of 23 playgrounds were issued and 15 playgrounds will have to be closed down completely. The Voivodship Inspectors of Building Control issued almost 650 recommendations for playground managers, related inter alia to equipment damage, its lack of stability, neglected maintenance or defects that create the risk of injury.

Additionally, the project participants prepared a guide for playground administrators and owners, who are responsible for playgrounds’ condition. From the guide they will learn what the inspections should cover and how often they should be carried out, as well as what the most frequent problems are and how to avoid them. The guide outlines the basic requirements and standards which, if known and fulfilled by playground managers, ensure that children and their parents feel safe at playgrounds. Another manual was prepared for inspectors informing them on how to conduct inspections. This publication contains a list of key criteria which should be taken into account by inspectors while controlling playground equipment. The manual will allow inspectors to pinpoint any irregularities occurring at a given playground.

In order to eliminate any potential risk related to the use of a playground, you should immediately report any irregularities found to the site’s owner or manager, i.e. a housing association, community, caretaker or administrator, and make sure that they fulfill their obligations in this respect. If the problem cannot be solved that way, you should contact construction supervision authorities which have their offices in every poviat town, and which can e.g. order the disassembly of given equipment or even closed down a playground.

The control of the equipment intended for sale before its installation at a playground falls under the responsibility of voivodship inspectorates of the Trade Inspection. Based on the materials provided by the Trade Inspection, the President of UOKiK, by way of administrative proceedings, can order a business to mark a product in a proper way, inform consumers about the threats it creates or withdraw a device from the market. Moreover, the President of UOKiK can impose a fine of up to PLN 100 thousand for marketing products incompliant with safety requirements.

UOKiK would like to stress that apart from the surveillance carried out by the competent authorities, it is the parents and carers who play an irreplaceable role here - it is the basis of children safety. Before your children start playing, it is advisable to inspect the balance of a given device and the binding of all the elements to check if they are not rusty. This can help avoid negative consequences of a carefree play. The Office would like to encourage you to read the leaflet Play safely at a playground.

Additional information:
Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokesperson for UOKiK
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw, Poland
Tel. (+48 22) 827 28 92, 55 60 106, 55 60 430
faks (+48 22) 826 11 86
E-mail: [SCODE]bWNpZWxvY2hAdW9raWsuZ292LnBs[ECODE]