The province has introduced legislation that could result in new standards and practices for trampoline parks, in the wake of a Victoria man’s death on the Lower Mainland in 2018.
An amendment to the Safety Standards Act was proposed this week that would enable the development of regulations for the safety oversight of trampoline parks and other amusement facilities.
The amendment, part of a series proposed under the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, would allow the province to work with industry to help ensure such parks are safe.
According to the province, the regulations would be introduced through a phased transition to mitigate compliance costs for industry and allow time to adapt to new requirements.
Jay Greenwood, 46, died after doing a front flip into a foam pit at Extreme Air Park in Richmond, where he was playing on the trampolines with his two kids. He landed head-first. An injury to Greenwood’s cervical spine damaged his spinal cord, which stopped his breathing. He was pronounced dead in hospital.
A coroner’s report in 2019 ruled Greenwood’s death to be an accident.
The report noted Greenwood had a moderate level of alcohol in his system, but did not specify if that was a factor in his death.
The report did suggest a “more more timely medical aid response with respiratory support” could have prevented his death.
None of the three staff members working at the park that day was trained in first aid or CPR. It took firefighters 21 minutes to remove Greenwood from the pit.
