December 2009

UTS Engineering Associate Professor and Chairman of the Australian Standards Trampoline Committee, Dr David Eager believes that most trampolines on the market today have the potential of seriously injuring children. Eager says “it is estimated that up to 16,000 Australian children suffer from trampoline related injuries each year.

Eager says "the voluntary Australian Safety Standards for Trampolines was set up in 2003 but most of the 600,000 trampolines owned by Australians wouldn’t pass the standards.” He said that in most cases the pads used around the edges are useless and give people a false reassurance that the trampoline they’ve got is safe.

It is these figures that have prompted the NSW Government into setting up an enquiry into trampoline standards.

Eager is backing the push to have the voluntary standards made compulsory. He says the safer trampolines are spring-free, and have soft-edged mats and nets that have been engineered to prevent children falling off.

Image: David Eager demonstrating the head dropper apparatus for testing trampolines for 9 News.

Photographer: Chris Chapman

For further information contact:

Nancy Gewargis
Marketing Projects Manager

UTS:Engineering
02 9514 2637