If you’re lucky enough to have a backyard that can fit a trampoline, you’re scoring big time. A trampoline is a great way for kids to jump off excess energy and it’s always a winner when friends come over to play. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe.

I know of many kids who’ve suffered from a variety of broken bones from collisions and bad landings on a trampoline. Often, the accidents are self-inflicted and involve kids playing silly-buggers on the tramp. But the trampolines themselves are NOT actually meeting Australian safety standards.

Serious Safety Failure

The CHOICE team has recently put ten popular trampolines to the test and the result was quite astonishing. Only one out of the ten passed all safety tests. The remainder all had “serious safety failure”.

The Best Is EXPENSIVE!

Unfortunately, the one trampoline that jumped up above the rest is also the most expensive trampoline brand on the market. Springfree trampolines start at $999 for the smallest 8-foot round trampoline. This is compared to the Kmart 8-foot tramp which sells for $119. So that’s a lot of extra buck for the CHOICE tick of approval.

According to CHOICE, the Springfree R79 ($1,999) scored 90% when tested to the voluntary Australian safety standard, while eight models had serious safety failures.

“Our trampoline safety tests look at how children can use the product in real life as well as how the trampoline performs if you follow all safety instructions,” says CHOICE testing expert, Chris Barnes. “We look at what can happen if children bounce against the enclosure net or land hard on the padding.”

Strong And Durable

Barnes said that the “Springfree R79 is the best model we’ve tested because of its strong, durable frame and enclosure, and the way in which the trampoline protects the user from any impacts against the frame, mat or enclosure.”

“There are no significant entrapment hazards and the instructions are clear and easy to follow,” he added.

There was one other trampoline – the Jumpflex Flex100 ($749) – that did pass the main structural safety tests with a rating of 63%, but some minor safety issues were discovered.

Major Fail!

“The remaining eight trampolines that we tested all had serious safety failures, which included serious entrapment hazards, padding or enclosures that didn’t stand up to durability testing and structural failures,” reports Barnes.

The trampoline models with serious safety issues are:

• Little Nation 10ft Trampoline – 51% $500
• Kmart 12ft Springless – 49% $169
• Lifespan HyperJump3 – 48% $399
• Plum Space Zone V3 30212 – 48% $599
• Vuly Thunder Medium – 45% $1,399
• Kahuna Classic 10ft – 36% $449
• OzTrampolines Summit – 34% $645
• Premier Trampolines 10ft Premier with Net & Ladder – 34% $480

See the full CHOICE review for tests for each individual trampoline.

No Mandatory Safety Standards

The CHOICE team has also pointed out that concerningly there is no mandatory standard for trampolines.

“Unfortunately, the current Australian standard for trampolines is only voluntary, which means manufacturers are not required by law to meet it,” says Barnes.

How To Keep Your Kids Safe On A Trampoline

CHOICE has identified a few tips to keep kids safe and injury-free while playing on trampolines:

• One jumper at a time. The more kids on the trampoline at the same time, the greater the risk of injury
• Supervise your children when they are jumping, especially if there are younger than six.
• Discourage your kids from bouncing against the netting
• Tell your kids to aim to bounce in the centre of the trampoline

“We know that for a fun product like a trampoline, safety instructions aren’t always followed exactly by children. That’s why we test for foreseeable misuse and accidents, like bouncing against the enclosure net or landing hard on the padding,” Barnes said.

Do you have a trampoline a home? Are you concerned about the safety of your kids jumping on the trampoline? Tell us in the comments below.