Unintentional injuries that occurred in 1996 were projected over a lifetime to cost $14 billion in medical expenses and $66 billion in lost work (Bonnie et al., 1999). Unintentional injury is one of the leading causes of death of individuals ages 1-34 years (MMWR, 2004). Injuries in school-age children reflect their increasing independence and motor skills, as well as risk-taking behaviors largely influenced by peers. Injuries occur while participating in school, recreational, and sports activities. One recreational environment that has received minimal attention in injury research is the amusement park. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential for injury in children ages 6-12 in a sample of amusement parks (n=4) in the U.S. Participant observation was used to collect data. Field notes and photographs of key examples of rides and park design characteristics were examined for their potential to cause injuries in children. Findings showed that ride operators complied with safety standards that require checking the intactness of the rider’s personal restraint system, giving the ‘all clear’ sign before activation of the ride, and validating rider’s height. Park design safety features included availability of first aid stations, fire hydrants, and emergency exits; fencing off ride mechanics; using automated gates for query lines; and displaying signage that described health restrictions, rider responsibilities, and safe ride behaviors. Park customer safety features included metal detectors, lost-child sensors, searches of personal items, security officers, and transportation to remote parking areas. Although rides and restraint systems meet American Society for Testing and Materials standards, the designs do not uniformly take into account variables such as riders of exceptional size and behaviors of riders. Nurses can be instrumental in decreasing amusement park injuries by working with amusement park design and safety teams and counseling families about age-appropriate injury prevention.
Session #1223 - Graduate Student Poster Session
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)