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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
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(5) MR. WONG KWOK-HING ASKED (in Cantonese):-'Since a child was shocked by static electricity while playing on a slide at the Council's Provident Garden at Wharf Road, North Point, and even the parent taking care of the child by the side also felt the shock, I therefore raise the following questions:
(a) How many of the PUC's children playgrounds were provided with the same sliding facilities as the one at Provident Garden?
(b) Please explain the causes of static electricity shock on the slide.
(c) What measures has the Department taken to eliminate the occurrence of static electricity on this kind of slide?
(d) When would the Department complete the improvement measures as mentioned in (c) above?
(e) As regards this accident, should the manufacturer be held liable and responsible for the cost of improvement measures?"
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied (in Cantonese):-Mr. WONG's question is in five parts. The first part is about the number of PUC children's playgrounds that are provided with the same sliding facilities as the one at Provident Garden.
There are 5 PUC children playgrounds that are provided with the same sliding facilities as the one at Provident Garden.
The second part of the question is about the causes of static electricity shock on the slides.
Static electricity is mainly caused by friction between two insulators which evokes changes in atoms in the atmosphere. As a result, two opposite charges are formed between the insulators. This phenomenon is especially common in dry weather. When children play on the slide, static electricity may be caused due to friction between their clothing and the sliding surface. Generally speaking, static electricity would only cause temporary discomfort and would not do any harm to the human body.
The third part of the question is about the measures the Department has taken to eliminate the occurrence of static electricity on such slides.
As mentioned above, static electricity is caused by friction in dry weather. Under general circumstances, it is not easy to eliminate the occurrence of static electricity on slides. The only way to alleviate the problem is to construct additional supportive structures underneath the slide to connect the slide to the ground so that static electricity will be conducted to the ground via these structures.
In the fourth part of the question, Mr. WONG asks when the Department will complete the improvement measures as mentioned in the third part of the question.
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