Trampoline Safety Standards – What Do They Actually Mean?

What are the trampoline safety standards?

The safety standards aren’t all that easy to find without purchasing them, but an important thing you need to know, as parents, is that the safety standard for trampolines (AS 4989:2015) isn’t mandatory so trampoline manufacturers are not required to comply in order to manufacture and sell a trampoline.

However, the standards do draw attention to the importance of key safety features for trampolines and set a benchmark for manufacturers to works towards. They also provide us more insight into what are the most important things to look out for when purchasing a trampoline.

Raising the standard for trampoline safety

The current trampoline safety standard gives requirements for padding – or protection to the jumper that stops them from coming into contact with the springs, the frame or any hard impact surface.

Most trampolines do meet that basic requirement, but to be fully compliant, a trampoline’s protection needs to meet set criteria.

The latest revisions of the current standard introduced the requirement for an enclosure around the trampoline as well as highlighting the ‘integrity’ of the structure of the trampoline including important updates to the protection the trampolines have from UV (so they don’t break down quickly in the sun).

So which trampolines meet the standard and how do you know if your tramopline is safe?

Unfortunately there is no official ‘Safety Standard badge of approval’ from the Standards Committee, to let us know if a trampoline meets all aspects of the New Zealand Safety Standards.

There are independent third parties such as ConsumerNZ who conduct tests and investigations based on the standards.

What is surprising and important to know, is that after one such independent consumer group tested trampolines from 7 different companies on their safety features, only one model passed all the safety tests, and therefore the only trampoline they recommend. We are proud to advise that the trampoline that took these honours is our Springfree Medium Round trampoline.

The takeaways

Our advice to you when looking to buy a safe trampoline, is to trust your instincts, and do your research.

You can’t always believe what you hear. The lack of an official ‘compliant’ badge for the safety standards means that any company can say they are compliant with the New Zealand trampoline safety standards, until proven otherwise and asked by the Standards committee to refrain from stating their ‘compliance’.

So make sure look into the safety features of the trampoline/s you’re considering, and assess it for yourself. We recommend you view the trampolines in person, if possible, so you can actually see the product and understand all the potential safety hazards. Often safety features can look quite similar across different trampoline brands, but the underlying effectiveness can vary dramatically. Padding and an enclosure doesn’t necessarily mean protection from impacting a hard surface; it’s all in the design, the structure and the materials that make up a trampoline.

The World’s Safest Trampoline

And this is why our inventor, Dr Keith Alexander spent 15 years of research and design to re-engineer the traditional trampoline from the ground up to create Springfree Trampoline.

Dr Keith Alexander’s revolutionary design removes all the hard impact points from the jumping surface, removing the need for springs and hard impact points entirely.

The unique, patented Springfree Trampoline design removes all the impact points that caused 90% of all product-related trampoline injuries, making Springfree Trampoline proudly the world’s safest trampoline.

Overall, trampolines have come such a long way in safety, since we were kids. Making them still the perfect addition to any backyard and the kids will love you for it!