Unsafe cabinet beds found in Tampere daycare centres

A safety review by the city of Tampere has identified cabinet beds with structural risks in three daycare centres: Sampo, Tesoma, and Etelä-Hervanta.

The inspection followed a fatal accident in Vantaa in March, where a two-year-old child died after becoming trapped between a cabinet bed and a wall at Kelokuusi daycare. The same manufacturer, Sisuwood, supplied the beds in question in Tampere.

At least two similar incidents occurred in Pirkanmaa last year, one in Ylöjärvi over the summer and another in Tampere in the autumn, where children became trapped in cabinet beds.

Tampere officials stated that the unsafe beds will be removed and replaced with safer models as soon as possible. In the interim, cabinet beds in the affected centres will remain lowered at all times, and the rooms housing them will be used only for rest periods. These precautions take effect immediately.

“Child safety is our absolute priority, and we are acting on the principle of caution,” said Elli Rasimus, Tampere’s early childhood education director, in a message to guardians.

Vantaa announced last week that it would also remove all high-risk cabinet beds from its daycare centres.