Suburban playgrounds across Australia could get a safety overhaul in an attempt to crack down on serious injuries for children going down slides.
Seven year-old India Greaves has only just regained her confidence after suffering a serious injury going down a giant tube slide with her father in 2022.
The accident at Boongaree Nature Play Park in Berry, on the NSW south coast, caused both her legs to hyperextend and fractured bones under her knees.
She had to wear casts from her hips to her toes for weeks during her recovery.
‘It was one of the most traumatic things we’d ever been through,’ her mother Tisha Fleming told AAP.
‘It was the hardest thing watching doctors and nurses pin her down to give her gas to numb the pain… because she was in such shock.’
But Ms Fleming was shocked to be told by doctors at their local hospital that other children had suffered even worse injuries.
A recent report by the Australian Institute of Health Welfare found playground equipment was the most common cause of falls amongst children nationwide.
Hospitalisation rates were highest among children aged five to nine years.
University of NSW injury epidemiologist Lisa Sharwood heard of India’s case and gathered others in her role as an expert putting together new safety guidelines for giant tube slide designers and manufacturers.
The recommendations cover slides over 7.5metre in total length.
The handbook to be released by Standards Australia on Friday includes restricting slide use to children taller than 1.2metre.
Clear signage would also be installed in parks to explain the safety recommendations, accompanied by pictograms for non-English speakers.
The new guidelines are formulated to reduce potential injuries, but they are not mandatory.
‘It’s not trying to put a wet blanket on your fantastic new playground design, it’s just saying tweak it a little bit and be aware,’ Dr Sharwood said.
‘Why not get ahead of the game and… make sure that it’s a safe and fun experience for people who are coming to these playgrounds and it’s a win win for everyone.’
While parents might think they are protecting their children by sliding in tandem, the handbook advises against it.
Ms Fleming said there was a delicate balance to be struck for parents, as they wanted to support their daughter in playing without any fear.
‘It’s hard as a parent because we’re doing our best to encourage her… but in the back of our minds we know what happened,’ she said.
