Preventing injuries on horizontal ladders and track rides.

Nixon, JW; Acton, CHC; Wallis, BA; Battistutta, D; Perry, C; Eager, DBM

Preventing injuries on horizontal ladders and track rides.

Nixon, JW Acton, CHC Wallis, BA Battistutta, D Perry, C Eager, DBM

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Injury control and safety promotion, 2004, 11 (4), pp. 219 - 224
Issue Date:: 2004-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Nixon, JW	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Acton, CHC	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Wallis, BA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Battistutta, D	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Perry, C	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Eager, DBM https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1926-7867	en_US
dc.date.issued	2004-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Injury control and safety promotion, 2004, 11 (4), pp. 219 - 224	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1566-0974	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/4475
dc.description.abstract	OBJECTIVES: This study examined the type of injury, fall heights and measures of impact attenuation of surfaces on which children fell from horizontal ladders and track rides. METHOD: All injured children who presented to two children's hospitals and received medical attention following a fall from a horizontal ladder or track ride in a public school or park during 1996--1997 were interviewed and the playground visited. RESULTS: The number of children who fell from horizontal ladders and track rides and presented to hospitals with injury was 118. Of those children, 105 were injured when they hit the ground and data were available on 102 of those playground undersurfaces. Fractures to the arm or wrist were the most common injury. The median height fallen by children was 1930 mm, 73% of injuries were from falls greater than 1800mm. In 41% of sites, the surface was deficient in impact absorbing properties for the height of the equipment. Fractures were no more likely on loose surfaces than other surfaces, such as rubber matting (p = 0.556) but more prevalent on compliant than non-compliant surfaces. Relative to falls occurring on noncompliant surfaces, the odds of a fracture occurring on a compliant surface was 2.67 (95% CI 0.88-8.14). CONCLUSIONS: Modification of the height of horizontal ladders and track rides to 1800mm is preferable to removal of such equipment. The prevalence of fractures on compliant surfaces suggests that the threshold of 200g or 1000 head injury criteria (HIC) needs to be revisited, or additional test criteria added to take account of change in momentum that is not presently accounted for with either g-max on HIC calculations.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Injury control and safety promotion	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Logistics & Transportation	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Brain Concussion	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Wounds and Injuries	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Facial Injuries	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Multiple Trauma	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Prevalence	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Odds Ratio	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Equipment Design	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Accidental Falls	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Sex Distribution	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Surface Properties	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Play and Playthings	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Child	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Queensland	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Male	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Fractures, Bone	en_US
dc.title	Preventing injuries on horizontal ladders and track rides.	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	4	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	11	en_US
utslib.for	1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services	en_US
dc.location.activity	Brisbane, Australia
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	4	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	11	en_US

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the type of injury, fall heights and measures of impact attenuation of surfaces on which children fell from horizontal ladders and track rides. METHOD: All injured children who presented to two children's hospitals and received medical attention following a fall from a horizontal ladder or track ride in a public school or park during 1996--1997 were interviewed and the playground visited. RESULTS: The number of children who fell from horizontal ladders and track rides and presented to hospitals with injury was 118. Of those children, 105 were injured when they hit the ground and data were available on 102 of those playground undersurfaces. Fractures to the arm or wrist were the most common injury. The median height fallen by children was 1930 mm, 73% of injuries were from falls greater than 1800mm. In 41% of sites, the surface was deficient in impact absorbing properties for the height of the equipment. Fractures were no more likely on loose surfaces than other surfaces, such as rubber matting (p = 0.556) but more prevalent on compliant than non-compliant surfaces. Relative to falls occurring on noncompliant surfaces, the odds of a fracture occurring on a compliant surface was 2.67 (95% CI 0.88-8.14). CONCLUSIONS: Modification of the height of horizontal ladders and track rides to 1800mm is preferable to removal of such equipment. The prevalence of fractures on compliant surfaces suggests that the threshold of 200g or 1000 head injury criteria (HIC) needs to be revisited, or additional test criteria added to take account of change in momentum that is not presently accounted for with either g-max on HIC calculations.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/4475