What to look out for at trampoline parks

Trampoline parks offer a great way for children and adults to play, have fun and, importantly, take part in physical activity. First arriving in the UK in 2014, the parks have enjoyed huge growth. Many hundreds of thousands of customers have safely enjoyed trampoline parks and the activities they offer.

However, they can be high-risk environments, and it is impossible to completely remove this risk.

Today sees the release of figures obtained by the BBC using FOI requests, showing that ambulances were called out to 1,181 incidents at trampoline parks across the UK in 2017 – the equivalent of more than three a day.

Insight gained from Sheffield Children’s Hospital also shows that children hurt at parks require “more treatment” than those injured on home trampoline equipment.

RoSPA has been working to improve the safety of trampoline parks since 2016, helping to draft the UK’s first dedicated specification for their design and operation – the PAS5000 – in partnership with the International Association of Trampoline Parks (UKIATP), British Gymnastics, leading park operators and insurance companies.

By August 2018 RoSPA would like to see all parks in the UK be compliant with the PAS5000 specification, which is a voluntary code outlining specifications for good design, good operation and good information for customers. Ideally, they will all also hold membership of the UKIATP.

In the meantime, there are some questions to ask and things that parents can look out for when looking for a good trampoline park:

 

Questions parents can ask:

• Does the park take details about you, any relevant medical issue and emergency contact information?
• Has the park provided a safety briefing?
• Have they checked that people understand the briefing?
• Are the rules clearly displayed?
• Are the rules being enforced by court monitors and staff, e.g. one person on the trampoline at time?
• Is the park a member of the UKIATP?

 

Park safety briefings should include as a minimum:

• Manoeuvres not permitted
• Methods for ‘killing’ or stopping the bounce
• Hazards in the jumping area
• Take-off and landings, including the ‘no-jump’ boarders
• Risk inherent to the park
• Rules specific to that park
• Thoughts given to additional needs