Protective fences pose danger

Helensville resident and workplace safety practitioner Ralph Maher advises parents to impress upon their children the dangers of arrow-topped fences.

His advice comes in the wake of Kaipara College's decision to build an arrow-topped fence around its Helensville campus.

"Arrow-topped fences are a disaster waiting to happen - not upon intended parties but upon innocent children who do not recognise danger even when they are faced with one," Mr Maher says.

Papatoetoe senior fire station officer Lance Blyde backs Mr Maher's advice.

"The theory of having a fence topped with these maiming arrow heads has been conveyed to me as a deterrent to people climbing the fences," Mr Blyde says.

"While they may have some credibility, it is clearly not much of a deterrent.

"Many children still climb these fences as the arrow heads do not make the fence harder to climb. All they do is ensure that if a climber slips or falls, he or she stands the chance of severe and possibly life threatening injuries."

College principal John Grant says it will go ahead with the arrow-topped fence despite getting Mr Blyde's letter about the dangers of arrow-topped fences.

"There has been an upsurge in vandalism after school hours," he says. "We have no choice but to protect school property.

"The fence has been designed to keep people out. It is 1.8metres high - beyond the reach of small children. Nobody will climb the fence for innocent purposes. Anybody who climbs it will be breaking in."

The fence around the campus is expected to be completed by December.

Apart from the arrow-topped fence, the college will also install video surveillance.

It recently completed fencing of the swimming pool area with a three-pronged elaborate arrow-head design.

The dangers of arrow-head fencing are highlighted in TV3's dramatic coverage of a Sydney-based boy who was impaled on an arrow-topped fence by the arm.

Once the arrow head had penetrated his flesh, there was no way he could extract himself from the barb, even with aid from others.

Mr Blyde says that illustrates the problem.

"In the last two similar incidents I attended involving an eight and a 12-year-old, we had to cut the segment that was impaling the children off the fence and sent the kids to the hospital with the steel rod and arrow head embedded in their body," Mr Blyde says.

"It is clear that children do not even observe the arrow heads, let alone perceive them as a threat to their safety, as they climb the fence as if they were not fitted with them."

Mr Blyde says he has been informed the Education Ministry does not allow electric or razor-wire-topped fences as they are considered dangerous.

"It therefore surprises me that these fences are allowed as I consider them to be a greater danger," he says.

"Razor-wire and electric fences are far less climbable than the vertical rod fences that are prevalent in the incidents the Fire Service has attended.

"My incident search found none where a person has been entangled or trapped in electric or razor fences. No doubt this is due to the fact that they are clearly not climbable."

Mr Blyde says he has informed the Education Ministry and Accident Compensation Corporation to bring both organizations attention to an unnecessary and significant hazard that exists at a number of schools.

Among the schools in the Auckland region where impaling on arrow-topped fences have been reported are Mountain View School, Pomaria Road School, Papakura High School, Auckland Girls Grammar, Kelston Boys High School, Mangere College, Manurewa High School, Green Bay High School and Manukau Institute of Technology.

With the exception of the Auckland Girls Grammar and Manukau Institute of Technology incidents, all others involved children during daylight hours.

It took two impaling incidents at Papakura High School before the arrow heads were removed from the low-standing fence. They are now set only on the high fence.

The number of arrow-topped fences is increasing significantly and Mr Blyde fears the number of impalings will follow this trend unless action is taken.

"It is fortunate that all the incidents involving children that I am aware of have involved impaling of the limbs and buttocks rather than more critical body parts.

"One recorded incident involved an impaling close to the femoral artery and it is only a matter of time before we end up with an impaling in the chest or a critical locality that may result in fatality."

Mr Blyde believes that the fitting of arrow heads to new school fences should not be permitted and those on existing fences be removed as a priority.

- © Fairfax NZ News