If any news qualifies as repetitive — reporting that the wheel has been invented again — it is that children are being hurt on playground equipment. And yet, the story must be told again and again.
Earlier this week, this newspaper reported on a study by the Utah Department of Health, which detailed how just under 1,000 Utah schoolchildren are hurt each year on playgrounds — injuries bad enough to require a doctor's care. There were broken bones, cuts requiring stitches and head injuries.
For anyone who has been around awhile, the report sounds a bit like a broken record. Nearly 10 years ago to the day, this page published an editorial reacting to a U.S. Public Interest Research Group report that said about 75 percent of all playground injuries were caused by falls and that urged tougher standards on equipment and the types of surfaces on which it rests.
That came eight years after Utah State University released a 125-page guide, complete with illustrations, recommending ways in which manufacturers could reduce risks to children. No doubt other studies were published years before that.
The good news is that all those studies have made an impact, at least on much of the equipment at public schools. A former playground inspector told this newspaper the state's school districts have spent a lot of money and time replacing equipment, making sure to eliminate sharp edges and to put soft, cushioning materials underneath.
The not-so-good news is that no one seems to have a similar handle on the safety of equipment in public parks or in the back yards of average people. The Utah report said three quarters of the injuries in playgrounds come from children falling off. More than half of those injuries were bone fractures of some type.
It would be unrealistic to expect to do away with playground injuries entirely. Children are adventurous and, at times, reckless. It also would be unrealistic, and more than a bit cruel, to suggest that playground equipment be eliminated because of liability risks. Swings and monkey bars are as much a part of childhood as ice cream and birthday parties.
The best defense is to continue preaching safety — both to manufacturers and to the children themselves. Every child should be warned against wearing helmets or loose-fitting clothing that can get caught on playgrounds. They should be warned against roughhouse behavior and putting themselves in dangerous situations. They should be taught not to walk too close to a swing set when someone is swinging.
These are lessons that never grow old from one generation to the next.