IATP Response to CBC's Marketplace "The Truth About Trampoline Parks"

RICHMOND, British Columbia - Oct. 5, 2018 - PRLog -- Patron safety is a top priority for the International Association of Trampoline Parks (IATP).  Any and every injury is a serious matter, and we take every opportunity to communicate and recommend to our members that all optimal steps be taken to mitigate injury risks.  As our industry has grown from 40 parks in 2011 to well over 1,000 parks worldwide by the end of 2017, there has been a natural increase in reportable injuries at trampoline parks. In North America alone, parks welcomed over 50 million jumpers in 2017.

The available data indicates that trampoline park injury rates are lower or on par with common youth sports such as soccer, basketball and volleyball, and far lower than contact sports such as lacrosse and football.  In addition, we believe cardiovascular, muscular, coordination and social interaction health benefits of active bouncing far outweigh the negatives.

We take pride in developing education and training programs aimed at promoting the safety and well-being of patrons who visit our member parks.  We encourage and welcome the opportunity to work with government regulators in Canada to develop responsible, effective industry regulation.

In the absence of regional standards or government regulation, the IATP currently advocates that all trampoline parks adhere to ASTM F2970-17. Currently members in North America are required to sign a pledge outlining several elements of the ASTM Standard and, by September 2020, the IATP will implement a self-regulatory program requiring mandatory third-party inspections to continue with IATP membership.

To better educate patrons of trampoline parks, the IATP will launch "Let's Get Jumping" a consumer awareness campaign that will provide trampoline park patrons with the necessary resources to assist them on what questions to ask and what to look for before selecting a trampoline park to visit.

The IATP self-regulatory program, in conjunction with the "Let's Get Jumping" consumer awareness campaign, will work together to provide patrons of trampoline parks with a way to clearly identify those parks dedicated to delivering optimally safe guest experiences.

Founded in 2012, the IATP is dedicated to serving the interests of its membership and educating the trampoline park industry by promoting optimally safe operations, facilitating commercial success and stimulating growth of the trampoline park industry. The IATP is the trampoline park industry's most ardent safety and injury prevention advocate, and we will continue to encourage and support more investigation into strategies to prevent injuries.  We closely monitor sports medicine, fitness and injury reporting and use it in a deliberate approach to the development of consensus safety standards for our members and for our industry. For more information on the IATP please visit: www.indoortrampolineparks.org