Are trampoline parks great exercise for your kids or a very real danger?
In 2017 alone, ambulances were called to 1181 incidents at trampoline parks in England, which equates to roughly three every day. A report was done by Sheffield Children’s Hospital, which said that “children hurt at trampoline parks required more treatment than those injured on home equipment”.
There are currently no safety regulations aimed specifically at trampoline parks, although there was a voluntary standard published in 2017. Presently industry insiders are saying they would “not be adverse” to tighter regulation of the sector.
Amir Qureshi, an orthopaedic surgeon at the University Hospital of Southampton has been monitoring trampolining injuries for some time, long before the parks became popular in the UK. Last year one opened near the hospital. “Since then there has been quite a steady influx of severe injuries,” he says. “We’ve had neck injuries, broken arms, elbows and ankles.”
In the six months before the park opened near the hospital, there were 14 injuries that resulted in 18 “hospital days” (time spent in hospital being treated). In the six months following the park opening, there were 27 injuries which resulted in 42 hospital days. In the UK there has been an increase of 50% in accidents at trampoline parks.
Parks owe users a duty of care to take reasonable steps to keep them safe. The starting point for that is that anyone that visits a trampoline park should be adequately trained in how to use the equipment, that the equipment itself is well maintained and fit for purpose and that the activity is properly monitored and supervised to minimise the risk of participants using the equipment wrongly and putting themselves and others in danger.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/teenager-breaks-back-trampoline-park-14104498
Parental rights
In the UK if you’ve worked for your employer for a year or more you have the right to unpaid time off work to look after your children. You can take 18 weeks of unpaid leave before your child is 18. You can also take unpaid time off work to deal with unexpected problems – for example where childminding arrangements break down.
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/rights-at-work/parental-rights-at-work/
The effect of having to take time off work unpaid is far-reaching and hard hitting for most families in the UK. If you are the parent of teenage children, for example, you are unlikely to still have a childminder on standby and family and friends may have their own work commitments. Most parents and grandparents will work during term time, saving up their annual leave allowances for school holidays, so that they are able to help out during these times.
You can’t leave your teenager home alone all day, especially with a broken limb, so either mum or dad will have to take time off work. If you’re lucky you may have some annual leave accrued that you can ask to use, but this request doesn’t have to be granted. You are highly likely to have to take some or all of your parental leave unpaid.
This is where having an assurance policy that covers you and your children in the event of broken bones would be an ideal solution. It would give you the peace of mind you need to be able to fully concentrate on tending to your family, without having the additional worry of the financial implications.
There are a range of different policies out there that will claim to cover all your requirements, but from experience, we have learned that it’s best to have a full and frank discussion with an expert in this industry before making any decisions and signing up for a policy that sounded perfect, but on reflection isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
Click on our “Get A Quote” button or call our trained, friendly & knowledgable advisers on 0800 009 6434 to discuss your families circumstances and ensure that you are getting the best policy you can, and with it, the best value for money, We really are here to help you.