Bounce fined $40,000 after 11-year-old boy falls 4m from climbing wall, fractures sternum and injures back

Trampoline centre Bounce has been fined $40,000 after a child was injured when he fell 4m from a climbing wall in Victoria.

The company was initially fined $12,500 over the 2022 incident, however the penalty was more than tripled following an appeal.

The then 11-year-old boy fractured his sternum and suffered soft tissue injuries to his back after using the climbing wall area at Bounce’s indoor play centre in Grovedale, Geelong.

The boy was using the wall with two of his friends and on their third go, the trio decided to race each other.

According to WorkSafe, the boy was too excited to realise that he wasn’t properly clipped into the wall’s harness system.

When he raced up to the top of the wall, he pressed the timer button and then pushed himself off.

“Instead of being slowly lowered ... he fell 4m from the top of the wall,” the workplace safety watchdog said.

A WorkSafe investigation found Bounce did not have systems in place to ensure customers were adequately supervised in the climbing area.

It also found customers had not been properly advised of the safety rules.

In March this year Bounce was fined $12,500 without conviction in the Geelong Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to two charges.

An appeal of the original sentence was made by the Director of Public Prosecutions and it was set aside on September 17.

Victoria’s County Court instead ordered the company to pay a fine of $40,000 without conviction, plus over $5000 in costs.

WorkSafe executive director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said what should have been a fun activity for the boy turned into a “nightmare”.

“(The child and his family) ... should have been able to rely on Bounce to ensure there was proper supervision and instruction for the activities on offer,” he said.

“Ensuring patrons are appropriately supervised, briefing customers on how to safely use equipment and ensuring children are accompanied by a parent or guardian are simple steps duty holders should take to ensure they manage the inherent risks involved in indoor adventure activities.”

In a statement provided to 7NEWS, Bounce co-founder and executive director Ant Morell said at the time of the incident the company was “compliant with all safety standards governing wall climbing features”.

Following the incident Morell said it then implemented “additional safety measures” to ensure a similar accident would not happen again.

“We genuinely care for the health and wellbeing of the child involved in the accident at our Geelong venue two-years ago,” Morell said.

“Any injury is distressing for the customer and staff involved.

“Safety is, and always has been, our number one priority as the business. Injury prevention and response training is part of a comprehensive Safety Management System that is in turn part of our commitment to set the standard for safety in our industry.”