The safety of Lakeview School’s tractor is being assessed during the school holidays. PHOTO/TOM TAYLOR
Another playground tractor’s future being assessed
Lakeview School will assess the safety of a tractor in its playground during the school holidays, principal Tim Nelson said.
The health and safety matter arose at the same time as the debates around Masterton’s Kids Own Playground tractor.
In his role as a Masterton councillor, Nelson had voted to keep the tractor at the playground.
“I wanted to see any health and safety issues addressed so it could be back on the Kids Own Playground as soon as possible,” he said.
Masterton District Council removed the playground tractor and bulldozer for offsite maintenance in the early hours of Wednesday last week.
Lakeview School had opted to keep its tractor onsite to assess its safety over the holidays.
The Board of Trustees and Lakeview School caretaker would address and fix any potential risks during this period. The school would also seek advice from an engineer if necessary.
“We’re going to do everything we can to address any potential risks around the tractor that has been on our school grounds since goodness knows when,” Nelson said.
The Ministry of Education’s guide for schools on the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 stated that it was a school’s responsibility to keep pupils safe from risks and hazards.
Nelson said that to his knowledge there had never been an accident related to the school’s tractor.
“Children get a huge amount of joy and satisfaction from playing on it.”
As the Ministry of Education owned the playground, the school could use its Property Maintenance Grant to maintain the playground equipment.
