Field visits to ensure safety of play areas start Tuesday

AMMAN – Amman Governor Khaled Abu Zaid has formed a committee to hold inspection visits to restaurants and malls with children’s play areas, a Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) official said Sunday.  

The committee will start conducting its field visits Tuesday in order to ensure children’s safety, said Raed Haddadin, director of the building control department at GAM. 

“We will start checking each restaurant and mall that has a play area in the capital. The aim behind the step is not to issue fines, but to ensure a safe environment for children,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

Haddadin said committee teams will ensure that the facilities undergo regular maintenance and that the space in these venues is sufficient and in accordance with regulations.

“We will also see if these restaurants have surveillance cameras to make sure children are not left unattended and to enable their parents to keep an eye on them,” he added. 

The committee consists of representatives of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the Ministry of Tourism, GAM, the Civil Defence Department, the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation and the Jordan Association for Restaurants and Sweets Shops Owners (JARSSO), according to a GAM statement. 

The committee was formed following the recent incident at a branch of a fast-food restaurant chain, which resulted in the death of a five-year-old. 

Five-year-old Ezziddin Al Hirsh reportedly died of electric shock in the play area of Hardee’s branch on Medina Munawara Street during the Eid Al Fitr holiday in late July. 

Haddadin said if any restaurant or mall violates regulations, they will be notified first and given a week-long grace period. Afterwards, if they fail to address the violation, the outlet will be closed down. 

Around 120 restaurants have play areas and 90 per cent of them are located in the capital, according to JARSSO.