Treadmill safety

Risks and injuries

Young children are most at risk of injury from treadmills. Most injuries happen when a baby or toddler moves to the back of the treadmill where they are out of sight and either touch the moving belt or gets their hand caught under it.

Treadmills can cause:

• severe friction burns (these can take many months to heal and may even require a skin graft)
• bruising and abrasions
• blunt trauma
• amputation.

Safety requirements

Treadmills must comply with the mandatory safety standard set out in the Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Treadmills) Regulations 2009.

According to this standard, all treadmills (except those purchased before 2009) must have a permanent warning label with the following message:

• ‘WARNING: Keep young children away from this machine at all times. Contact with the moving surface may result in severe friction burns.’
• The word ‘WARNING’ must be bold and uppercase.
• The uppercase letters must not be less than 5mm and the lowercase letters not less than 2.5mm in height.
• This warning label must be separate from any other warning label.

Your consumer rights

As a consumer, you have the right to expect that the goods you buy are safe.

Australian Consumer Law requires safety standards to be met before certain goods are sold. These standards include:

• the way the good is made
• what it contains
• how it works
• the tests it needs to pass
• whether any warnings or instructions need to accompany it.

Penalties

The penalty for individuals is $2.5 million.

The penalty for a body corporate is the greater of:

• $50 million
• if the Court can determine the value of the 'reasonably attributable' benefit obtained, 3 times that value, or
• if the Court cannot determine the value of the 'reasonably attributable' benefit, 30% of the corporation's adjusted turnover during the breach turnover period for the contravention.

Be a savvy consumer

Using a treadmill safely

• If you can, use your treadmill in the room away from young children.
• If this is not possible:
  • use safety barriers like a playpen to keep children away from the treadmill
  • do not use your treadmill when young children are around.
• Always keep your treadmill unplugged when not in use.
• Store your treadmill well away from children’s reach.
• Always supervise older children if they are using a treadmill.
• When you buy a new treadmill choose one with protective covers and a safety stop switch.

How to report a product safety concern

If you become aware of an unsafe situation or item, whether or not anyone has been injured:

• alert the supplier about the issue
• report the matter to Product Safety Australia.

Making a complaint

When making a complaint, you should include:

• details of the issues you are experiencing
• copies of any correspondence that shows how you have tried to resolve the matter.

How NSW Fair Trading will handle your complaint 

Your complaint will be reviewed to determine the most appropriate resolution. This may include:

• providing you with information to help resolve your complaint
• recording the complaint issues to assist in future compliance programs, or
• contacting the other party to try and resolve the dispute.

You can lodge a complaint: 

Online

If you cannot resolve your matter, submit your complaint by using our form.

Make a complaint

By mail

Post your complaint form and documentation to: 

NSW Fair Trading

PO Box 972 

Parramatta NSW 2124 

Ask a question 

If you are unable to find the information you need, you can call us between 8:30am to 5pm on Monday to Friday. You can also use our form to make an enquiry. 

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