A Wollongong trampoline park operator is jumping for joy that there has been a major step forward in making the popular bouncing activity more safe.
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Industry professionals, government staff and academics have developed Australia’s first official standards for trampoline parks in an effort to reduce the number of injuries.
The co-owner of Hangtime Trampoline Park in Wollongong, Brett Baker, has helped campaign for more regulations in the industry.
He is one of eight operators running 17 of the 70 trampoline parks across Australia who are members of the Australian Trampoline Parks Association, which has a safety code of practice.
“We opened Hangtime in 2014 when there was a boom in trampoline parks,” Mr Baker said. “Some park owners ordered sub-standard equipment from overseas.
“There were some horrific injuries reported.
“These new Australian standards are a huge success.
“The Australian standards now lend more weight to the code of practice that member parks operate under. However, even with the standards, compliance is still voluntary.”
The new standards cover all aspects of a park, from the heights of trampolines off the ground, to the number of staff and the most appropriate games to play at the park.
They provide a benchmark for the design, installation and operation of trampoline parks and provides minimum safety thresholds to help designers manage risks. Regular inspections are also a key feature of the standards.
The new standards were created in response to the rising number of trampoline park-related injuries.
Sydney Children’s Hospital conducted a study of 40 trampoline park-related injuries and found that 55 per cent of patients had a soft tissue injury or sprain and 37.5 per cent had a fractured bone(s).
Causes of injuries included awkward landings on the bed, larger children bouncing alongside smaller children, and attempted somersaults or flips.
Mr Barker said Hangtime had less than two significant injuries per 10,000 jumpers each year. Two is association’s benchmark.
“Our injury rate is very low compared to other association members,” he said.
“Every activity carriers some risk of injury, even walking down the street. Generally the more exciting the activity the more fun it is and therefore there is a higher risk of injury.
“We try to control the risks and get them as low as possible.”
Mr Baker encouraged parents and teens to do their research and go to association compliant members because the parks were safer.
“For association members, the most important consideration is safety for our customers,” he said. “We reduce the risk as much as possible which helps create a safer industry.
“The parks that don’t comply often tarnish all the other parks.”
Mr Baker said that was why it was important for existing or new operators to become members of the association.
“Most people assume the parks are regulated but they are not,” he said. “Parks don’t require a licence. Safety standards depend on the operators.
“We are happy we are the only park in the Illawarra that is a member of the association and is complaint with the code of practice.
“It costs us more to be complaint and there is no financial benefit but we want people to go home safe.”
Mr Baker said the association tried to work with new and existing park owners to offer them help them to comply with the code of practice.