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�. <br />By Theodora $riggs Sweeney� <br />a�° <br />According to stetistics compiled from <br />�ata accumulated a1 the 119 hospitals <br />parliciPalinB in ihe Nalip�gl_$LeC:. <br />tronic Injury Surveillance S sY tem <br />� �NEIS§l, each year home and public <br />�p1ay8�ound equi0ment is imolved in <br />approzimately 118,000 injuries_se_v_e� <br />enough to requirq. emer¢ency room <br />� treatm�p{, In the IS months between <br />July 1973 and October 1974, 23 <br />children are known to havc died as <br />the dircet result of these D�ayground <br />accidents. <br />In i�s report "Hazard Analysis: <br />Playground Equipment;' published <br />in April 1975, the Burean of Epidemi- <br />ology of the US Consumer Producl <br />Safey Commission smted thac <br />"The most frequent has.ard <br />aswciated with playground equip- <br />ment is fells, particulerly from slides <br />TXeodoio BriRBS Sweeney is a sa/e- <br />ry ronsu(mnf frt Cleveland HeiR���s, <br />Ol�in. She prtifionM fnr ond /ror- <br />. liri/wted in �he developmenl nJ fhr <br />`� prnposrd CPSC sofery s�onAard Jor <br />puGlic plavgro�mA equiP�+ienb and <br />pr(i(inneA, unsuerexsfull)y l��� o <br />sirrtilur sl�nrlarA jnr humr <br />� ployXround equipmett(. <br />and climbing apparatus. Three- <br />fonrths of all the injuries werc falls to <br />Ihe ground or onto o[her equipment. <br />Other hazards wera (q bcing s�mck <br />by a piece of moving equipment, (2) <br />rough edges, (3) protruding bolts, <br />and (4) entrapment of ex[remilies in <br />equipmenl. Two incidents of <br />slrangulation trom ponchos caught <br />on an angular upright of a slidc rail <br />were cited. In addi�ion death cer- <br />:ificates reveaied that f.Jls and hang- <br />ings through head entanglement in <br />ropes or chains werc ihe most fre- <br />quent causes of dcalh. <br />"Homc playground equipment- <br />related injuries most often occurred <br />on swings and swing se�s. Injurics <br />xusmincd on public playyround,_ <br />equipmcnl mos� of�en ocwrre�.gn <br />slides and climbing epparatus_ <br />"Playground��surfacing as well as <br />Ihe n•ay ihe vic�im landed are factorx <br />in Ihe kind and dcgree of injury in• <br />cnrrcd. Approxilnalely 90 �uul of a <br />loial ol' 14fi� in-deplh im�es�iR+���J <br />cases iuvolvrJ fallc Io psphall, cc- <br />mcni. or packeJ dirt PIuYSround sur'- <br />laccs.••' <br />Th� .hi..t �i�.tin:. ul 16cx pin) <br />equiP�ncnl acciJcnlx arc Ih¢ Youngc� <br />chitdrcn; 78 percent of the cases <br />reported involved children who were <br />under 10, with,the five-ro-nine•vearv <br />Olds aCrn niin¢ f r yin�..•:ma�elv �0 <br />Mrcent of �he.a �d nss�s� In <br />under haif of the total injuries. The <br />remaining injuires wve grouped as <br />follows_ ]0 QercgnL111faer extremities. <br />perttn[ truneA <br />TFis high incidrnce of injuria � . <br />associated with Ihe use of playground �. <br />equiDment situates it in sixth place <br />on a lixt of 100 hasardous consumer <br />products.' Even if lhe accidents <br />rclafed lo ils uu were of e minor <br />nalure. �uch a Aigh ranking on Ihe <br />°most humrdous" list would seem to <br />warranl a closer laok at the producl <br />in qucuion. In IAu cascof plapground ... <br />apparatus, howwcq the risks �ollem � .. <br />danl upon i1s use arc fur from minot. <br />As �he sludy uf such cquipmcm dune �� <br />a1 thc Univcrsi�y of lox�a poimx out: . <br />^Pl;rysroimJ c4uipmcnt a��c{drnt <br />s�:nisticc Acmominnc a hipU im .. . <br />ciJ��n�+c ni iui��rics, u�d thon:�.li nol ' ... <br />gencmlly cl:wsid os permancm in <br />