19 Jan 2018

600 trampoline injury claims in three months

8:46 am on 19 January 2018

Trampoline injuries tripled in three months after two trampoline parks opened in Christchurch in 2016, a report says.

A trampoline.

Trampoline injuries have tripled in three months. Photo: 123RF

The companies are not named in research by the Canterbury District Health Board - but they are Mega Air and Flip Out, which both opened in the city in August last year.

A report, published by the New Zealand Medical Journal today, shows in the 90 days after the parks opened, there were 602 claims to ACC in Christchurch for trampoline-related injuries and 106 hospital presentations.

In the 90 days before the parks opened, there were 201 claims, and 15 hospital presentations.

The report showed of those taken to hospital, 15 were injured at Flip Out and 35 people were injured at Mega Air.

One of the report writers, Scott Pearson, who is a specialist at Christchurch Hospital, said both trampoline parks had since made safety improvements and he had seen a significant drop in injury rates.

"They've made some improvements to their practices which have resulted in a reduction in injuries, which is great to see I think they are responsible modifications that they have made - so good on them."

"We're still seeing the occasional injuries from trampolines, but nothing like it was," he said.

Dr Pearson said based on the findings, its recommendations for the safe operation of trampoline parks included restricting use to a single person at a time and notifiying caregivers that trampolining carries a risk of significant injury.

In a statement Flip Out managaing director Kyle Dickinson said the franchise had more than 70 parks internationally.

He said it took the the safety of its customers very seriously and it had many years of experience in setting up multiple parks and ensuring they were operating in a safe environment with strict rules.

"The percentage of injured customers, visiting Flip Out Christchurch, that were taken to the hospital over the three-month period for Flipout was around 0.0009 percent. Although no injuries are taken lightly, this is a very low percentage of injuries.

"Flipout New Zealand has never had a spinal injury in any of their parks, and we accredit that to our experience in setting up safe parks with robust safety standards," Mr Dickinson said.

Mr Dickinson said Flip Out had worked hand in hand with Work Safe NZ, who had visited all of the Flip Out sites in New Zealand and were pleased with its proactive response and safety levels.

He said Flipout New Zealand had always had very low injury levels and this had not changed.

Flipout New Zealand's managing director, Kyle Dickinson, said Flipout New Zealand has always had very low injury levels.

"We are continually improving our safety standards and communicate regularly with other locations around the globe, as well as our individual franchisees to ensure our safety policies remain current."

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