Dear Editor,
I am writing to highlight some serious safety issues that I observed this past Sunday at the Georgetown seawall, specifically the area by the bandstand that has been set aside as a play area for children. There are numerous activities for children in this area, which is great, but worryingly, little to no adult supervision at many of them. Two things in particular stood out: the large inflatable slide and the trampolines. I observed several big children and even adults jumping on several of the trampolines, sometimes with younger children. This is dangerous for these trampolines could very easily flip over; they are not anchored in any way and the ‘feet’ are just on the concrete. In other places where I have seen these, there is usually a size requirement ‒ too small and too large children/adults are not allowed because they could get hurt. A similar problem was observed at the large inflatable slide. In one instance, a very young child, barely over a year old in my estimation, was allowed to climb the very high steps by herself and then held by an older child on the slide down. While the children’s parents were present, there was no ‘supervisor’ for the slide ‒ just a man collecting money and moving between several of the inflatable objects. Again, this is a tragedy just waiting to happen. This slide is very high and very young children should not be allowed to go on it. There should also be some kind of rubber or shock absorbent mat at the base to cushion the children when they reach the bottom.
Again, while it’s great that there are activities for children, attention also needs to be paid to ensure that adequate safety guidelines are in place so that no child gets hurt. This cannot just be left up to the business people running the activities or even the parents; the authorities need to get involved. I raise these issues not as a grump who doesn’t want the children to have fun or people to make money, but as someone concerned about health and safety. Also, to reiterate, in other places where these toys and equipment are used, there are child safety guidelines regulating their use. Guyana should be no exception. As the saying goes, “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.” Let us not wait until someone’s child gets hurt before we do the right thing.
Yours faithfully,
S Nageer
