Parents question safety of Delta ‘adventure playgrounds’

DELTA (NEWS 1130) – An adventure playground in Delta that features wooden planks, nails and hammers has some parents on alert. But the city says despite two kids being hurt so far this summer, it’s confident in the safety of the park.

Ken Kuntz with the City of Delta says the reported injuries have been minor, and are bound to happen when kids play.

“All summer long if we’ve only gotten two reports of cuts, that’s pretty insignificant in the scheme of things,” he says. “If you don’t feel comfortable putting your child there, then my suggestion is that you don’t participate in that particular activity.”

Delta currently has two adventure playgrounds open to the public until Sept. 2, at the North Delta and South Delta Recreation Centres.

The idea is to provide a space for children to engage with unobstructed play and exploration of their surroundings with a variety of tools and materials, including things like hammers and saws.

“It’s not something that is required,” Kuntz says. “It’s there to teach kids risk tolerance and it’s been quite popular.”

While the park is specifically designed to encourage risk assessment and creativity in kids, some people aren’t convinced that the site is safe.

After seeing sharp nails sticking out of boards, Christopher Samson says he doesn’t understand how the city can be so careless. He’s an experienced safety trainer and took to Facebook to share his concerns.

“It literally looks like a dump – broken toys, broken two-by-fours,” he says. “It’s just not appropriate. I think children, if they’re given a hammer and a nail, they should be mentored, supervised, and they have to ensure that those children are doing things properly and safely.”

Kuntz says the park is monitored daily and fenced off for safety.

“I still can’t believe the City of Delta thinks that an area like that is acceptable,” Samson says. “That would not fly on a job site, companies would get fined. So I don’t understand – kids without steel-toed boots or any eye protection or gloves – it’s appropriate but not for adults on a construction site.”

The City of Delta responded to Samson’s Facebook post about the safety issues in the playground, saying:

“There are risks to this type of play; however, these are risks within boundaries. Signage is placed at the entry to each Adventure Playground outlining the nature and risk involved in the playground and appropriate safeguards. A Play attendant is on site during the operating hours to oversee the basic rules and educate the children on the difference between a risk and a hazard.”

According to the city’s website the attendant is able to assist with first aid, if required. There is no age-limit in the playground, but kids are required to wear close-toed shoes. Parents are encouraged to stay outside of the play-space fence to give kids independence