More than 150 playgrounds will be inspected at least once a year to ensure fencing is in place and the area is safe for children, a spokesman for the parliamentary secretariat responsible for local councils said.
Starting this month, the Malta Standards Authority will be carrying out the annual inspections of playgrounds managed by local councils after an agreement was signed between the authority and the Local Government Department in January. Playgrounds managed by other private entities do not fall under the agreement.
Earlier this week, Robert Micallef, the father of a seven-year-old boy who suffered brain injuries when he fell a height of five metres at Chadwick Lakes late last year, called for safer playgrounds and recreational areas. He called on the authorities to set up a group of experts who regularly checked such areas to ensure they are safe.
His son, Luke, who is on the fast track to recovery, joined his father in the appeal.
The secretariat’s spokesman said that according to the agreement signed by the standards authority and the local councils, the authority will visit, inspect and propose changes to the 165 playing fields managed by local councils. The councils will then carry out regular inspections and maintenance.
“In Malta there exist a number of playgrounds that are managed by other private entities. MSA is more than willing to enter into similar agreements with these entities,” the spokesman said.
New staff has been roped in at the authority and is being trained to carry out inspections during “trials”.
“The results of these trial inspections will be taken into consideration. But they are mainly intended for evaluation purposes and to train MSA officers,” the spokesman said.
The playgrounds’ safety criteria are listed in a national standards document that states there must be fencing, benches are to be designed safely and all wiring must be underground, among other things.
The government was also drafting a scheme intended to help local councils renovate playgrounds, the spokesman said. The scheme follows similar initiatives managed over the last three years when local councils benefited from an estimated €100 million.