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A mother whose infant just missed serious injury in a supermarket trolley is warning other parents to be extra vigilant.
She hadn’t realised there was a safety strap on the trolley so didn’t use it. Her infant was saved from falling out – in the nick of time – by a staff member.
Many injuries
ACC data shows in the five years since 2019, almost 1,100 claims related to babies or toddlers and shopping trolleys have been made.
Over 100 were for children under one-year-old. Older children are also at risk.
In 2019 there were:
- 306 new claims lodged for children under the age of six
- 21 involving children under the age of one
- 80 were aged between one and two
- 76 were between two and three.
ACC data relies on information provided at the time of the claim. It is possible therefore that the number of children being injured at the supermarket could be higher than recorded.
An old problem
Back in 2016, ACC data revealed over 400 babies had been injured by trolleys in the previous year.
Some supermarkets were considering using in-store signage to encourage parents to safely restrain their children in trolleys.
Now it’s 2024. Fewer accidents are being reported.
But signage doesn’t appear to be widespread.
Some supermarkets, like Pak’nSave, play audio messages encouraging parents to properly restrain their children.
Woolworths stores have printed information on trolley handlebars about their correct use.
Accidents are still occurring.
Options
Most stores provide trolleys for people with young children.
Some have booster-seat attachments designed for babies, others a cage-like seat for older children.
Woolworths say they regularly check their trolleys’ safety features.
Worksafe says under the Health and Safety at Work Act, supermarkets must ensure other people’s health and safety is “not put at risk from work carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking”.
The safety guidelines for trolleys are less stringent than for other baby-carrying devices like prams or car seats.
Plunket comment
Whānau Āwhina Plunket says young children need to be within arm’s reach at the supermarket.
That goes for any activity where a child is seated above the ground.
Active supervision and strapping them in where a harness is provided is key to keeping young children safe .
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