In view of the information about serious injuries sustained in the art objects in the center of Riga and to prevent the risk of further injuries to children, PTAC carried out inspections in Vērmanes Garden and Doma Square to ensure the safety of users, during which serious safety problems and risks were identified.
PTAC found that the swinging equipment in the Vērmanes Garden had inadequate shock-absorbing flooring under the swings, taking into account the height of the swings and the potential fall height. The swings are spaced close to each other, so there is a possibility that a swing user could injure themselves against the metal structures, the PTAC said. The foundations of the swings are also not sufficiently reinforced and parts of the swings' textile suspension anchors are already damaged.
PTAC therefore instructed the Riga City Municipality to immediately enclose or dismantle the Vērmanes Garden swing, which has already been done. PTAC has also instructed other similar installations to be identified and inspected to ensure that they meet safety requirements.
PTAC draws the attention of municipalities and creative and functional designers to the fact that environmental art objects and installations that may be attractive to children as play equipment must also comply with safety requirements.
"PTAC has observed that installations and environmental objects often appear in the environment that are not just design elements, but are functionally similar to play and leisure equipment and are particularly attractive to children. We draw the attention of municipalities, architects, and industrial designers to the fact that even when creatively designing environmental objects and installations, if they are likely to attract children's attention as play elements to spend time actively there, the safety requirements laid down by the regulation must be respected," said Linda Rinkule, Director of PTAC's Product and Service Safety Department.
