Safe Workplace and Safety News

An article in The Independent (United Kingdom) stimulated some thoughts about a subject I had not considered previously. The article is called "The End of Playtime?" Here are the opening paragraphs:

"Play time is over for children, with up to half of youngsters banned from climbing trees, playing conkers or riding their bikes by over-protective parents who are terrified that they might get hurt.

ICM research for Play England shows that half of seven to 12-year-olds are banned from climbing trees. Four in 10 were banned from playing in their local park or recreational area without an adult present and one in three cannot ride a bike without parental supervision."

What does children's playtime have to do with workplace safety?

Children's playtime does more for children than just being a source of fine. During playtime children learn life skills. If kids are kept from challenging situations during playtime, they will not learn skills they need later in life.

I remember, when I was very young, that I climbed a tree and fell out of the tree. There where no broken bones but it was a lesson about gravity that I've remembered for 50 years. I didn't become afraid of heights, but when I was working as an engineer on new power plant construction during my "invincible years" (late teens and early twenties) I was always sure to use the proper safety equipment when working in high places.

The result of children are being protected from all possible harm is that we'll see new workers coming to the workplace without the "fear" and knowledge they would have gotten from playtime. They will not have the safety skills learned in the safe environment of a playground. Skills they will then need to learn them in the workplace.

As safety professionals this is a trend we need be aware of and be prepared to identify and address in our workplaces.

Here is another quote from the article:

"Josie Gleave, of Play England, argued that the low probability of accidents made playgrounds one of the safest places for children to be. The risk of a fatal playground injury is approximately one in 30 million and three-quarters of injuries sustained on the playground consist of minor cuts or bruises.

'The research shows that children need to experience challenging play in order to develop important life skills and to better manage risk and challenge in their daily lives,' she said."

Note: This article mentions the sport of "conkers". See our previous post about safety and the game of conkers.

Labels: fall protection, home safety, Industrial Safety, Safety Training

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