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In the world of the compensation claim resulting from slips, trips and falls, the thought of ordinary adults wrapping their heads in industrial strength bubble wrap, so as to protect themselves from knocks and bumps on the noggin, is a fairly ridiculous notion. However, a recent TV reality series revealed a new product on the market that possibly had many viewers tutting into their cocoa with emotions varying from "it never did me any harm" to "what will they try to flog us next?"
The product in question is a foam headguard for toddlers; marketed to ever accident conscious parents who would rather shell out around £16 for a spongy hat with ears than risk their child from having a minor accident.
In the programme, the baby bonce protector was one of a list of products that the programmes potential entrepreneurs could choose to sell at a top baby show in London. Viewers and the potential sellers were witness to a room full of small tots strapped inside their pink and blue mini scrum-caps happily playing surrounded by nursery objects that you would find at any self-respecting playgroup.
Local government alarm over personal injury accidents and the subsequent pursuance of compensation claims has been reported to be reasoning for the banning of playground games such as tag and conkers in some local authority areas and it appears that this is just the climate of fear that the makers of this innovative product are targeting.
There are pictures all over the website of toddlers playing happily in their cranial cocoons, but overwhelmingly, the film from the baby show revealed that many of the youngsters couldn't bare the thing on their bonce, and if you've ever tried to keep a sunhat on small child, you'll know that no matter how much you insist it will be for their good it is not until they fall asleep that you can keep the protective head gear safely in place.
The product website boasts glowing testimonials from all manner of health and child care experts but on the product information page there is a disclaimer about the safety hat causing overheating in a young child and that it should not be relied upon to provide protection from certain activities – it also states that "climbing could cause chin strap snagging" – so apart from providing a "half inch thick impact tested protective foam" layer that is "designed to help absorb and reduce the impact of falls from a child's own height" a customer could be adding to the risk of harming their child.
It could also be that despite the best intentions of parents and carers who buy these hats, it will be more than they can do to keep it on the head of their little one and then what will they do – will they stop them from playing altogether?
There could be one pertinent use for them perhaps and that would be for playgroups and pre-school nurseries, where they could be seen as part of regulated safety equipment and parents of children who can't be made to keep them on would be asked to sign a disclaimer against instigation of personal injury litigation.
However, it is likely there would be copious public outcry and much legislative wrangling leading to some groups being happy and some being unhappy. So, if you're feeling a bit unsteady thinking about the potential of a slip, trip or fall on your way home from work, to avoid a compensation claim reach for the bubble wrap – it's what we all need.
