Vantaa to remove risky folding beds from daycares after child death

The City of Vantaa will remove folding beds of specific models from the daycare centres in the city following death of a child in Kelokuusi daycare centre in an accident in March, said the city in a press release on Wednesday.

The city completed a safety investigation of more than 12,000 folding beds of 15 different models in its daycare centres and found most of them safe but some of the models were found to pose serious safety risks.

The authority decided to remove the risky beds and replace them by the beds considered to be safe.

There are about 130 daycare centres in Vantaa that use different types of folding beds and the exact number of the risky beds will be assessed later.

The initial cost of changing the beds is estimated at about 220,000 euros.

Earlier, the Safety Investigation Authority (OTKES) issued an accident warning notification to municipalities regarding the folding beds on March 26, but the authority did not ban the use of the folding beds.

The city presented the investigation report on the folding beds to the Urban Planning Board on Wednesday and will present it before the Education and Learning Board on June 16.

A child was injured at Kelokuusi daycare centre in Vantaa on March 24 after being crushed between a folding bed and a wall when some of the children were waking up from naptime at the daycare.

The child later succumbed to the injuries in early April.