Trampoline parks under scrutiny as accidents rise
WorkSafe inspectors have started visiting trampoline parks after a spike in related injuries.
The rise began in 2014, after the rapid expansion of the commercial trampoline park industry.
New Plymouth resident Dianna Marsh experienced firsthand just how easily a child can be injured on a tramp. Her 14-year-old son Samuel broke both bones in his lower leg in an accident at Mega Bounce in New Plymouth in July.
‘‘Not only did he get hurt, but in the bed next to him in hospital was a younger boy that had a serious injury to the leg caused the day before at the very same place,’’ she said.
The increase in injuries is reflected in ACC claims: in 2012 there were 6934 totalling $2.5 million, which had risen to 10,814 claims totalling $4.4m in 2015.
WorkSafe estimates there are 33 trampoline parks operating in New Zealand, with five more planned.
Spokesman Brett Murray said WorkSafe wanted to ensure businesses were meeting their obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
‘‘We will be reminding the operators that they have a requirement to notify WorkSafe of health and safety-related incidents,’’ he said.
‘‘We will also be taking a closer look at the designers and installers of these parks to make sure they are all doing everything reasonably practicable to manage the risks for staff and users of the parks.’’ - Fairfax NZ
Search for diver called off
Efforts to recover the body of a diver missing off Canterbury’s Banks Peninsula have been halted because of difficult sea conditions. A search was launched on Saturday to find Seddon Ralph Jane, 42, of Wairoa, after he was reported missing about 10am that morning. A five-hour search of the area between Damons Bay and Flea Bay failed to find any sign of him. He is assumed drowned. Police said four divers searched four more areas on Monday night but nothing was found. Yesterday morning, a police spokeswoman said ‘‘deteriorating conditions’’ meant no further dives were currently planned. ‘‘If and when conditions improve, the situation will be reassessed,’’ she said.
Manslaughter charge
A woman has been charged with manslaughter five years after a coroner ruled out foul play in a man’s death. The Napier woman appeared in Hastings District Court last week charged with causing the death of Bruce Mouat by an unlawful act in his Hawera home on July, 2011. She was granted bail and interim name suppression and will appear in the High Court at New Plymouth next month. The charge was laid more than five years after a coroner agreed with police findings that there was no foul play in the death of the 48-yearold Mouat.
More of the Bard
The Pop-up Globe Theatre will return to Auckland. The theatre is set to rise in the gardens at Ellerslie Racecourse at the start of 2017. It is a temporary replica of the second Globe Theatre in London, which was built in 1614. The plays being performed are: Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Henry V and As You Like It. The 2017 season will run from February 23 to May 14.
Child killer on bail
A woman convicted over the horrific death of her daughter in 1992 has admitted assaulting her husband with a vacuum cleaner. Tania Gaye Hopping was known as Tania Witika when she was sentenced to 16 years jail for the manslaughter of toddler Delcelia Witika. The high-profile case was one of the worst instances of child abuse in New Zealand. In the Christchurch District Court yesterday, Hopping, 47, pleaded guilty to assaulting her husband using the vacuum cleaner pipe as a weapon. Judge Michael Crosbie remanded her on bail to her address in Aranui, with a report to assess her suitability for a home or community detention sentence. A bail condition is that she is not allowed to threaten her husband with violence. Two-year-old Delcelia Witika was found lying dead in a pool of blood, faeces, and urine while Hopping and the baby’s stepfather, Eddie Smith, were partying at a friend’s house in South Auckland in 1991. Hopping claimed at trial that she was terrified of Smith and although she had wanted to help Delcelia she had been too frightened. Both Hopping and Smith were found guilty and were jailed for 16 years for manslaughter.