Keeping kids safe at home - Ask the Safety Guy

Dana | Jan 13, 2009 | 0 | Posted in Recommend It!

   
Ask The Safety Guy

Paula from Santa Clara asks:

Should I allow my child to play on a trampoline?
Sadly, my advice is to not allow children to play on trampolines.  I say “sadly” because jumping is one of the great joys of child, and trampolines can be both great fun and good exercise.  Unfortunately, the risks of potentially serious injury outweigh the benefits from my perspective as a parent and that as of The Safety Guy.

Injuries from mild to paralysis occur when children fall off the trampoline or by landing on their head when attempting to do a flip.  Injuries more frequently occur when two or more are jumping, and the smaller child is five times more likely to be injured.  Not surprisingly, the rate of injuries is highest for children under the age of six.

Analysis has also found that supervision is not sufficient to prevent injuries.  Safety devices, such as nets, also fail to do the trick.  A recent study in Austria (Schalaman - 2008) found that nets were present in 56% of the cases when injuries occurred.

Although they recommend against the use of home trampolines, if one is to be used, the American Academy of Pediatrics has the following safety recommendations.

Location of the trampoline and safety features:
•    Clear the surrounding area and set it away from trees, fences, and playground equipment.
•    Set the trampoline where it is surrounded by an energy-absorbing surface (e.g. mulch).
•    Buy and use a frame pad that covers the entire area of the spring system.
•    Consider lowering the height to ground level by putting the trampoline in a pit.

Before using the trampoline:
•    Set rules for trampoline use and discuss them often with your children.
•    Tell your children about the risks of not using the tramp properly.
•    Have your children remove any necklaces.

Using the trampoline:
•    Have someone properly train your child how to do flips and other complex stunts.
•    Never allow more than one person to use the trampoline at the same time.
•    Do not allow bouncing followed by jumping off of the trampoline.
•    Have an adequate number of spotters around the edges of the trampoline.

A recent study in Austria summarizes my point when it concluded that “at present, trampolines cannot be made safe for recreational activities and are of an unacceptable risk even under supervision.”

Submit your questions to pros@homesafety.net.  Martin Simenc, The Safety Guy, is the President of Home Safety Services, Inc., the Bay Area’s largest and highest rated safetyfitting company.
They can be reached at 1-888-388-3811 or at www.homesafety.net.
The Safety Guy is a registered trademark of Home Safety Services, Inc.        Copyright 2009.