Dad raises concern about unstable playground equipment
The Department of Parks is working towards repairing a damaged baby swing at Shelly Bay Park playground, more than a month after a complaint was lodged.
One of the baby swings at the Hamilton Parish site has two of three rivets missing from one side of the carrier seat which attaches it to the swing arm raising concerns about its safety.
A father of a baby, who asked not to be named, reached out to the department on December 16 via its Facebook page.
He believes that the swing was intentionally vandalised.
The department this week assured that “all who use the park area can do so safely”.
The father told The Royal Gazette: “I saw the swing had two bolts jammed out. It looked like a flathead screwdriver or something similar had done it because the metal on the screw was scratched and pointed.
“Someone had obviously put them back in by hand because it was only by chance I’d noticed.
“I took my son out and put the screws on the ground next to the swing. I posted the information on Facebook and the parent groups I am a member of and then I contacted Parks.
“I then looked up the safety of the swings and saw the three bolts were used as triple safety.
“I didn’t get a reply from Parks. Parks should have replied and stated it was safe or closed off.
“Every parent should be assured that it is safe. Who is liable if it is not?
“Imagine if an accident did happen. There have been countless accidents, ranging from mild to devastating, in the past until regulatory laws were passed on safety equipment.
“Imagine if the swing fell apart mid air? A potential death or life changing injury would occur to our babies.“
When contacted by The Royal Gazette, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works said: “The Department of Parks has been made aware of the concerns regarding the damaged equipment at the Shelly Bay Park playground.
“We want to ensure that all who use the park area can do so safely. The department will work towards making any necessary repairs.”
The ministry did not respond to questions about why the department had not acted earlier given it had been alerted on December 16 of the problem.
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