Jump to it – increasing safety in trampoline parks by means of regulation
Ann-Cathrin Stuhr (DIN German Institute for Standardization, DIN Technical Group TG 1.3)
Children and youngsters rushing here and there, screams of pleasure, high spirits and laughter ‒ as soon as a trampoline park opens its gates, it takes no time at all until the visitors arrive.
Trampoline parks are all the rage and already an established feature in many places ‒ not just in large cities in Germany, such as Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Some 50 parks are now in operation in this country and another 25 are at the planning stage. Trampoline parks are becoming increasingly popular not just in Europe but throughout the world, offering as they do an attractive and adventurous recreational escape from the prosaic everyday and plenty of fun for young and old. Children and young people can here let off steam until fatigue overtakes them and experience directly how enjoyment and physical exercise can be blended together. In addition to standard trampolines that are combined to create extensive surfaces for jumping, trampoline parks incorporate many other attractions. These can include a parkour course that users have to employ various skills to master, climbing walls, angled trampolines and courts for various ball games, such as basketball and dodgeball. Combinations with various landing surfaces, such as foam-lined pits and airbags, invite users to attempt acrobatic moves.
Trampoline parks foster activity and exercise while jumping on the various pieces of equipment promotes the motor and coordination abilities of many children and youngsters. At a time when we are seeing young people become increasingly inactive as they become obsessed by computer and video games, facilities such as trampoline parks with their many incentives to take exercise are growing in importance.
Despite this obviously positive side of such parks, the problem of the risk of serious accidents should not be swept under the carpet.
In recent years, some serious injuries and indeed deaths have occurred among visitors. To date, detailed and informative accident statistics have not yet been collated in Germany, but doctors and consumer protection organisations have expressed their concern. Injuries that can occur in trampoline parks include broken bones, ligament damage, laceration, grazing and concussion. Considered a matter of course, effective safety standards have been in place for many years for playgrounds, skateparks, high rope courses and other sport and recreation facilities; however, trampoline parks are virgin territory when it comes to this form of regulation. Accidents are difficult to avoid in any venue where there is full-on activity and a high density of visitors but there is a consensus of opinion across the whole of Europe that if there is any way of avoiding these, then it is right and proper that that way should be adopted. In January 2018, an application for the drafting of an appropriate standard was submitted by Eurotramp-Trampoline Kurt Hack GmbH, a leading trampoline manufacturer based in the south of Germany, and this was welcomed throughout Europe. The official green light for the preparation of a European safety standard for trampoline parks was given in June 2018.
The future standard is to be drawn up at the European level by the 'Trampolinparks' working group (CEN/TC 136/WG 17) of CEN, the European Committee for Standardization (Comité Européen de Normalisation). The secretariat work will be undertaken by Germany under the aegis of the German Institute for Standardization (DIN). DIN is an independent standardization body in Germany and represents the national equivalent of CEN. Within DIN, a total of 33,500 consultants drawn from the worlds of commerce and research, consumer protection organisations and the state sector contribute their expertise to the preparation of standards applicable to various sectors. The results are consensus-based, market-orientated standards that help promote international trade and provide for quality assurance, protection of consumers and the environment, safety and harmonisation.
The 20 experts who came together on 13 and 14 September 2018 for the inaugural meeting of the German 'Trampolinparks' mirror committee (NA 112-07-10 AA) of the DIN sport and recreational equipment group (NASport) are also part of the 33,500-strong expert team at DIN. With their specialised knowledge of trampoline parks, they have a particular interest in preserving the safety and appeal of these amenities. In this national committee, the draft standard will be debated during all phases of the process and the German viewpoint defined for later submission at the European level. Among the members of the NASport working group are constructers and manufacturers, representatives of consumer protection organisations and sports centre operators with the very best qualifications who offer a wealth of expertise.
A high level of involvement has been displayed by the German experts prior to, during and following the inaugural sitting. During the initial DIN meeting in Berlin, a first working draft was prepared on the basis of BSI PAS 5000 (Specification for the construction and operation of a fixed indoor trampoline park) and submitted to CEN as a potential starting point for the European standard. BSI PAS 5000 is a UK standard that was drawn up in 2017 and that serves as the basis for the European standard. Following the sitting, the German experts also submitted many comments, suggestions for improvements and additions to the standard. These all had the same objective of enhancing the safety of trampoline parks without sacrificing any of the exercise options, sport and fun that these facilities offer.
On 13 and 14 October 2018, delegates from throughout Europe met at the DIN headquarters in Berlin to consider the various proposals submitted by Germany, UK, France, Finland and the Netherlands with regard to the future standard and to reach a suitable consensus. All the proposals were discussed during the two very intensive and productive days and combined in a jointly approved document. This draft will be used over the following months as the basis for the preparation of the new standard and will continue to be fine-tuned until the official draft standard is released for public review in 2019. The draft standard has been made available for inspection by all interested parties and any suggestions for improvement are welcome. Suggestions will be reviewed and processed by the various national mirror committees and then passed to the working group at the European level for discussion and possible inclusion. One thing has become apparent during the various discussions held to date. Trampoline parks are no longer recreation centres that offer a single attraction but are complex facilities that include many different features, such as food outlets, special areas for young children and even high-performance zones for freestyle athletes.
In order to do justice to this complexity of structure, the initial plan is to divide the future norm into two main parts. The first part will deal with the safety of the construction of equipment in trampoline parks split into various areas while the second part will outline requirements for their operation. Hence, the first part will set out guidelines with regard to aspects such as planning, design, construction, inspection and maintenance of trampoline parks and their components. The operational requirements in the second part will cover safety and servicing in the case of leisure use, the training of personnel in terms of educational and therapeutic aspects and other operational needs. Important prerequisites in this context will be risk analysis and evaluation. Among other things, it will be necessary to specify regulations for the following in the new standard:
Minimum distances from walls and other solid objects such as posts and platforms
The required coverage and padding of springs and other potential sources of injury
The minimum space required below jumping surfaces to avoid possible contact with the floor during jumping
The maximum periods of use by various age groups
The maximum permitted visitor density
The provision of barrier-free access to at least part of the trampoline facilities and all other areas within a trampoline park
The preparation of image/text information systems that show all safety rules and potential risks; for example, visitors must be informed they must wear appropriate non-slip trampoline socks and that all jewellery, glasses and body piercing items must be removed before use of a trampoline and that only one person at a time may use a trampoline.
Emergency action plans and the training of personnel
There are other major requirements on the agenda but in view of the current boom in the use of trampoline parks and the fact that new ones are being opened all the time, Herr Maier of Eurotramp, the project head, has been repeatedly stressing the need to release the standard as soon as possible so that it can come into effect. This will be the best option for quickly and effectively minimising equipment-related hazards and other risks that may arise during on-going operation of a trampoline park. The appropriate supervision of visitors will play a key role in providing for effectual limitation of possible injuries.
Fall protection surfaces vary in terms of cost, minimum installation thickness and cleaning and care requirements. It should be noted that the most important property of these surfaces is the safety-related shock absorption. This is the surface's ability to reduce the impact energy that occurs when a child falls from a piece of play equipment. It prevents a critical, even life-threatening, injury.
DIN 18034 9/2012 "Playgrounds and Open Play Spaces" is now being revised, mainly as a result of the regular review and revision process for standardisation.
