It is wise not to wear a helmet whilst on the playground equipment. And in some places it is ordered as not to do so. Children have hanged themselves by the strap on more that one occasion.
http://www.helmets.org/playgrou.htm
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns of the dangers of children playing on playground equipment while wearing bicycle helmets. The CPSC is aware of 2 children who were strangled when their helmets became wedged. They died as a result of hanging from the helmet strap. Although helmets have proved to be effective in reducing the risk of head injury while riding bikes, these reports show that there is a hidden hazard of strangulation if the child wears a helmet while playing on playground equipment.
Unlike the Pennsylvania incident, the Canadian and Scandinavian incidents were "hangings" where the child was strangled by the helmet strap. A strong strap is necessary to keep a helmet on the child's head during a crash, and helmets with strong straps have saved hundreds or thousands of lives, so these incidents must be seen in that perspective.
The potential for strangulation by a helmet strap on playground equipment has been known since several such incidents were reported in Scandinavia. We received a report in 1992 from Anders Slatis, then a consultant for a Swedish helmet manufacturer, documenting six cases from 1984 to 1992 of asphyxiation by helmet straps when the helmets caught in Swedish or Norwegian playground equipment. All victims were boys under six. "Thirty or forty" more incidents occurred without injury.
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It is wise not to wear a helmet whilst on the playground equipment. And in some places it is ordered as not to do so. Children have hanged themselves by the strap on more that one occasion.
http://www.helmets.org/playgrou.htm
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns of the dangers of children playing on playground equipment while wearing bicycle helmets. The CPSC is aware of 2 children who were strangled when their helmets became wedged. They died as a result of hanging from the helmet strap. Although helmets have proved to be effective in reducing the risk of head injury while riding bikes, these reports show that there is a hidden hazard of strangulation if the child wears a helmet while playing on playground equipment.
Unlike the Pennsylvania incident, the Canadian and Scandinavian incidents were "hangings" where the child was strangled by the helmet strap. A strong strap is necessary to keep a helmet on the child's head during a crash, and helmets with strong straps have saved hundreds or thousands of lives, so these incidents must be seen in that perspective.
The potential for strangulation by a helmet strap on playground equipment has been known since several such incidents were reported in Scandinavia. We received a report in 1992 from Anders Slatis, then a consultant for a Swedish helmet manufacturer, documenting six cases from 1984 to 1992 of asphyxiation by helmet straps when the helmets caught in Swedish or Norwegian playground equipment. All victims were boys under six. "Thirty or forty" more incidents occurred without injury.
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