Risk Tip – Gymnastics and Rebounding Equipment

Do you use any rebounding equipment such as trampolines, spring boards etc?

We recently collected information from a variety of Adventist Church organisations for the renewal of the General Liability insurance policy. During the process we became aware that some organisations have been using rebounding equipment such as trampolines, mini tramps, spring boards and teeterboards.

So it is time to remind everyone that the church’s insurance policies do not cover the use of rebounding equipment and therefore rebounding equipment should not be used. If it is used and someone is injured there will be no insurance cover to help pay the costs.

And the costs can be very high. Rebounding equipment can cause very serious injuries such as paraplegia that can result in multi-million dollar claims. Sure, it won’t happen every day, but if it did would your church organisation be able to pay such a claim without insurance? 

The best advice we can give is not to use rebounding equipment of any type. This applies to all activities and sites whether churches, schools, campgrounds or others.

If rebounding equipment is currently on your site it is better to sell or dispose of it rather than simply storing it out the back – because one day someone may innocently use it without appreciating the consequences.

It might feel as though we are restricting your activities – and we understand how it can be seen that way – but we only do so to protect your ministry. We’re sure there are safer and equally enjoyable activities available.

While we are talking about rebounding equipment here, it is a good opportunity to remind you that other activities are not covered by insurance either. Some examples include bungy jumping, hang gliding, paragliding, motorised speed contests, 2 & 3 wheeled all-terrain vehicles, and fireworks.

The key message is that if you plan to do something new or different, particularly if it is higher risk, talk to us first to confirm whether it is covered or not.