Gymnastics Queensland:
A new report has found Queensland gymnastics and trampoline clubs need to improve safety for sport participants. …
… the risk of contact with all possible hard surfaces was controlled in only 8 per cent of facilities.
… nine recommendations to boost safety at clubs
New report aims to boost safety in Queensland gymnastics clubs
It’s now been over 2yrs since the death of adult recreational gymnast Michelle Maitland who hit her head on concrete at Townsville Gymnastics. Nothing can bring her back. But this report — released the day before what would have been Michelle’s birthday — might help prevent future catastrophic injury.
My friend Mike Outram survived after hitting his head on concrete.
Surely the very first thing coaches must do in any facility is make sure it’s impossible to hit concrete or steel. Long term, we need modify all foam pits to suspended systems, the best being the Jim Walker design.
Here are the 9 recommendations:
1. Gymnastics Australia should review the level of training, assistance and monitoring provided to clubs to implement the Club 10 program. This review should include the methods of monitoring compliance with, and implementation of, the program.
2. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, Sport and Recreation Services and Gymnastics Queensland should research how to link improved safety outcomes in the sport of gymnastics with the funding and non-financial support provided by SRS.
3. Gymnastics Australia should review their GA lesson plan template, in consultation with its members, with the view to developing a lesson plan template that includes coach positioning and key safety controls. Consideration should be given to sample lesson plans for each apparatus and level.
4. Gymnastics Australia should conduct a training needs analysis and ensure that access to coach accreditation and professional development courses is available.
5. Gymnastics Australia should research and develop methods to assist gymnastics clubs to conduct risk assessments, specifically in the use of gymnastics apparatus.
6. Gymnastics Australia should review the Club 10 equipment maintenance policies and procedures with a view to achieving greater compliance with Club 10 documenting processes.
7. Gymnastics Australia should research and develop methods to assist gymnastics clubs in managing the risk of manual task injuries in gymnastics coaches.
8. Gymnastics Australia should review coach knowledge on spotting and provide additional guidance and training where required.
9. Gymnastics Australia should research the viability of a simple method to document skill progression of gymnasts, including any injuries suffered. This may vary for high level, competitive gymnasts and low level or recreational gymnasts.
Download the entire 25 page report. (PDF)
This report needs be circulated to sports governing bodies worldwide. Leave a comment if you have ideas on how to make that happen. I’ll send it to some FIG committee members and Gymnastics Canada.
Update: As commenters have pointed out, an improvement to this report would be to better specify exactly what parts of the gym need be “padded”. In the past I’ve narrowed it down to pits and trampoline devices. But it should be broader than that.
13 comments ↓
If ample coverage of cement is an issue and individual clubs don’t seem to care to do anything about it, what options do we really have?
Provincial Associations say they won’t get involved. Gymnastics Canada won’t respond.
Do we have to wait until someone dies in Canada before our policies change?
Whilst it is a shocking figure that there are some clubs with concrete floors still in many areas of the gym ( or a thin layer of carpet over them) in some circumstances, it’s understandable why.
When the club is a privately owned or commercial for-profit organization, the owner has the ability to put the building as collateral to buy the equipment necessary including adequate safety matting on every single surface- especially if it is a long running highly recreational focussed (as well as squad programs) gym.
But if the gym is a not-for-proffit community gym (where any funds made go back into the running of the gym) and the building is rented, it is next to impossible to gain a loan, and the gym has to rely completely on the money made to pay coaches, rent etc. As equipment is expensive, and many aust gyms are small gyms (nothing like the large American ones) which cater for only 100-200 kids a week (rec included) new purchases are few and far between and we make do, and do the best we can for providing a safe environment and adequate matting where appropriate
All I’m saying is that safety is priority one, and all apparatus should have safety matting under, but it’s unrealistic to have every single surface in the gym covered with proper gym padding
My small gym in WA may not have world class facilities or produce world class gymnasts, but that doesnt make us a bad gym or bad coaches for not having permanent floor padding
The report states that less than half the clubs had all flooring covered with mats. What a ridiculuos requirement. Eg a hard surface 20m away from where gymnastics is done doesn’t need to be covered. Especially if there are other classes that need a hard floor like dancing. Also, many clubs operate in schools and cannot possibly cover all hard floors for a short period of time and then remove all the mats. I’m all for making the sport as safe as possible but some of the things in this report are just stupid.
I don’t think anyone is suggesting covering hard floors 20m away. They are talking about the area used for gymnastics. Hard surfaces also include things like beam supports etc.
That is a strange inference you got from the report Clinton. That sort of attitude is what causes accidents. It is clear from the report that only gymnastics areas should be protected, not some distant area not used for gym.
Not necessarily, of course. If the coaches are super attentive, and very energetic in moving mats as needed, you can be just as safe.
Sadly, I think that’s the way it works, Katrina.
We can “push” it in coach education courses. That helps.
There was a moment in time when Keith Russell said: “Every NCCP course should have an ethics module. And most have had ever since.”
The decline in smoking due to education is another good example of how educating people actually can change behaviour.
It states that many gyms are not entirely padded on page 14 in INS13. @West 1 – what I am advocating is a practical real world approach to safety, which most certainly will NOT lead to accidents. Much worse is the head in the clouds approach taken in the report. Many of the items in the llist are just plain not useful for preventing accidents. Matting everywhere is not going to prevent accidents because mats get moved. Writing 100s of documents about safety is not going to improve safety because in REAL life these rarely get implemented. What is needed is better and more continuous coach education regarding safety.
What is frustrating is people play the money card. I understand clubs have limited funds, but exposed cement 3 feet away from the side if the beam or exposed cement directly beside a trampoline is unacceptable. Covering the cement with carpet or a 1 inch “sting” mat does nothing for safety.
Things like that are an immediate MUST. Sorry I don’t care if you say you don’t have the funds to change it. That’s like telling me my child’s life and well being isn’t worth the $500 it would cost to purchase mats. I can guarantee you that a parent will go after you for more than $500 if their child was injured or killed!
The issue at the gym where my daughter’s skull was smashed was that the mat wasn’t there, from WHS point of view i.e the hazard. I believe that if existing coaching standards and matting recommendations had been adhered to, Michelle would not have been injured. The best way to minimize human error (and humans do seem to make a lot of them) is to permanently attach matting to equipment or cover the floors where ever classes are being held. If a club can’t provide a safe environment, they shouldn’t be running classes, it is that simple. The report produced may not be perfect and the wording could be better in places but it will make club managers and governing bodies talk about the shortcomings in some gyms and initiate more education rather than just ignoring the many less catastrophic but still unnecessary and preventable injuries.
@clinton. the report is referring to floors around gymnastics equipment – not dance floors 20m away.
Education is the key.
If a club can’t keep kids safe then don’t operate the club. If a club can’t afford a few mats and qualified coaches then you aren’t running a viable business anyway. There is plenty of funding available for all clubs and plenty of information available about how to run a safe and professional organisation.
Clinton? The report is about GYMNASTICS floors and covering hard surfaces there, not dance floors or carparks or the toilet blocks or anywhere other than where the gymnastics equipment is.
From coach Caleb Tivendale on Facebook:
Gymnastics halls need to be inspected by WorkSafe Australia imo. Too many that have insufficient padding, are too cold, have worn equipment, etc.
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