INTRODUCTION:
In Austria, we have seen a ‘trampoline boom’ in family gardens (six times more trampolines sold during Covid19). Trampolining provides a fun way of staying fit, while experiencing the joy of movement and improving coordination skills. These positive aspects don’t come without a cost, as borne out by studies conducted by Safe Kids Austria’s Research Center for Childhood Accidents (where all Styrian peadiatric accidents are evaluated and analysed). Up to 10,000 accidents happen to children on trampolines in Austria every year - just as many as on all other playground equipment combined. To address these risks, a primary school project that teaches children, both in theory and in practice, the correct, safe technique to jump on a trampoline was developed together with trampoline park FLIP LAB. Background knowledge, safety tips and necessary skills should help to avoid “jumping into hospital”.

OBJECTIVES:
• Informing pupils, teachers and parents about sources of danger, accident patterns and safety tips
• Giving children trampolining skills through practical exercises , imparting the right techniques to avoid accidents – not only in the trampoline park, but also on the garden trampoline
• Making pupils enjoy exercise and thus encouraging them to do more sports in their free time

METHOD: Three project stages 1. Training afternoon for teachers 2. Safe Kids Austria and Flip Lab arrive to the schools with specially prepared teaching materials and preparatory exercises for trampolining. 3. The pupils visit the Flip Lab As highlight and conclusion of the project the children spend a morning practising safe trampolining with the Flip Lab instructors.

RESULTS & CONCLUSION:
This project was developed based on the results of a trampoline study that includes large Austrian hospital figures on related child accidents. It provides students, teachers and parents with a combination of trampoline safety advice and skills and includes a high fun factor to foster greater engagement. To date, 80 classes participated. The project receives outstanding positive feedback from teachers, students and parents alike. It is therefore concluded that the key to successful engagement in accident prevention projects lies in the combination of safety and fun. This approach facilitates appropriate learning of specific safety tips and behaviours for the user’s own protection and for the protection of others. Doing so, in a fun and engaging manner minimizes any potential perception by the user of being dictated to about safety.

KEYWORDS: Child safety, accident prevention, trampoline, school project, sports safety

Safe Kids Austria (Verein GROSSE SCHÜTZEN KLEINE) - Graz - Styria - Austria