David Schembri
New standards for playgrounds
Playing around with safety is not a game the government wants to play in public playgrounds, so the Malta Standards Authority has just issued a set of standards that will have to be adhered to by all 250 playgrounds scattered around the islands.
The requirements, which are open for public consultation until the end of October, lay down the rules for public playground safety and their management.
The 12-page document outlines how the public spaces should be designed, what kind of recreational equipment can be installed, how the sites should be managed and how inspections will take place.
Playgrounds will have to be easily accessible by disabled people and different age groups must be sectioned off, since some playgrounds already have areas with exercise equipment for adults.
Another of the proposed new requirements is that all injuries on the playground should be reported so that the authority can assess what needs to be changed to avoid similar occurrences.
Parliamentary Secretary for local councils and public consultation Chris Said said this was the first standard of its kind in Europe. Countries such as Cyprus were thinking of adopting the standards themselves, he added.
After the consultation closes at the end of October, inspectors will start doing the rounds to assess whether the sites tick all the relevant criteria, and a few days after that the councils will be issued with a report on what needs to be improved to bring the playgrounds up to standard.
The changes, MSA chairman Francis Farrugia said, could be something minor such as the gradient of a ramp or length of chains on a swing, or something as drastic as removing an item deemed to be unsafe or not up to the required standard.
It is expected that initial inspections will take around a year to perform and, once the first cycle is over, routine inspections will take place. The government will be providing funds for councils to be able to get their playgrounds up to scratch.
The consultation document can be obtained by e-mailing standards@msa.org.mt.
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C Cassar
Aug 30th 2010, 14:37
"It is expected that initial inspections will take around a year to perform"
Why so long to do the inspections? I would have expected this to be completed within a maximum of 3 months or are they allocating only one person to do this?
Malta really needs to get its act together on how long these processes take - there's never any sense of urgency with anything. After the inspections, how long will we have to wait for "recommendations", another year? Then there will be the works, another year again? By the time anything is relaced/installed it will already be out of date.
Additionally, there's no mention of maintenance, only of replacement. How very typical of Malta to avoid anything to do with mantenance, as can be seen by many dilapidated structures/playgrounds/pavements etc.
Come on, get those legs moving and speed up.
M. Camilleri Calleja
Aug 30th 2010, 10:24
Artiklu f'waqtu!
La qed nitkellmu dwar dan, nappella li l-Malta Standards Authority jibghatu l-ispetturi taghhom fil-playground ta' Wied Blandun, Rahal Gdid, fejn il-passaggi tal-gnien ilhom minn zmien il-hagar ma jaraw laghqa tarmakl jew 'paving' u l-art ta' taht u madwar il-bandli qeghda preciz biex iggiblek tifel/tifla accjomu jekk jaqa'. U ghidli liema tfal ma jaqawx. Mela Ta' Qali rrangajnieh, Wied il-Ghajn irrangajnieh, il-playgroung ta' hdejn l-iskola ta' Rahal Gdid (fejn jinzerta hemm ukoll il-HQs tal-Kunsill Lokali) qed jirrangawha u Wied Blandun mitluq u minsi kien, u mitluq u minsi baqa'. Mela t-tfal taghna m'ghandux ikollhom playground sura ta' nies fejn jiddevertu minghajr periklu.
Nappella lill-Malta Standards Authority biex tibda' l-ispezzjonijiet taghha mill-playgrounds ta' Wied Blandun, Rahal Gdid, kif hawn fuq imsemmija.
Stephen Rizzo
Aug 30th 2010, 10:19
Its very good that the Malta Standards Authority has issued a set of standards that will have to be adhered to by all 250 playgrounds in Malta. What I do not understand is that how come these new standards do not apply for present application in front of MEPA for new playgrounds to be built?? In Marsaskala, a public garden/playground is being built on top of a number of apartments! Together with the swings and the see-saw there will be the air conditioning units, satellite dishes, water tanks, solar heaters and what not!
Its very good to upgrade the ones we already have but I think it would also make sense to plan the new ones accordingly.