When a company, organisation or individual hires any equipment they
become subject to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This act
places a duty of care on everyone involved in the transaction. This
means that the operator, the operator's employees, the hirer, the
hirer's employees and the owner or manager of the premises should
do everything possible to ensure the safe use of the equipment.
In addition Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
(PUWER) require that all work equipment, and that includes
inflatable play, must be tested by a competent person regularly
(usually once a year).
PIPA helps operators conform with the law by
defining a 'competent person' as one who has passed a specialised
examination and is registered with the RPII.
Inspection by a competent person prior to first use and annually
thereafter provides fundamental confidence in the equipment itself,
safe operation is not verified by PIPA. For that users and
operators should refer to EIS7 which was issued by the HSE as
explanatory guidelines for the industry and expanded on the 1974
Act in relation to inflatable play equipment. The latest version of
EIS7 can be downloaded
here.
This document could be used as a measure of "Best Practice" in any
legal proceedings.
PIPA is one of only two inspection schemes recognised by the HSE
(The other is ADIPS)
Operators using other testing schemes or methods may be required
to demonstrate how such procedures equal or better the accepted
best practice. Testers with no formal qualifications, however well
experienced, would probably not be able to satisfy a court of their
competence.
If you are considering hiring a boucy castle or similar
inflatable device you should ask the following questions:-
Questions to ask when hiring a "Bouncer" Are you (the operator)
conforming to the PIPA Scheme? Have you carried out the daily
checks on the equipment as required by EIS7 When was the equipment
last fully inspected? Will I get full instructions on it's SAFE
operation? Has the inflatable a PIPA tag? Can I see the current
PIPA test certificate for this equipment If I set it up with the
blower unit at 1.2 metres distance will it still fit on my site? Is
the equipment clearly marked as to its limitations of use (max.
user height etc.) Are you a member of a relevant association
(AIMODS, NAIH or BIHA)?
(Check this against the relevant web site listing
(See
Participating Organisations) Do you have Public Liability
Insurance?
Simply asking these questions will show the hirer that you are
informed and it will help your children and their friends play
safer
The industry has devoted 1000's of hours to make play safe - now
it's up to you to ensure that all the hard work pays off - Don't be
afraid to ask these questions, Don't compromise when it comes to
children's safety
PIPA tags are uniquely numbered and can be checked for validity
on the PIPA site
(Here). They were
first made available Mid September 2004. Up to the end of August
2005 there will be perfectly acceptable equipment offered for hire
without this tag - After that date however, all inflatables should
have been subjected to annual test and have been tagged.
What else do I need to do if I intend to have a
bouncy castle ?
Carryout a risk assessment, this should be documented. If
you consider that the only way to reduce the risk of an accident to
a child on the equipment is by increasing the supervision, you will
have to consider whether relying on parents to adequately supervise
the children is sufficient. If, this level of supervision cannot be
guaranteed, you must make other arrangements for sufficient
supervision, or if this is not possible, cease the use of the
bouncy castle. Make sure that you know what the maximum weight and
height restrictions are for your inflatable and ensure that these
are not exceeded Ensure that you can prevent the use of the bouncy
castle by mixed age uses Ensure that staff involved in the
supervision of the bouncy castle are adequately trained Ensure that
you have sufficient anchorage points, Ensure that you do not cause
a trip hazard with the power lead or anchorage points make sure
that your bouncy castle is in a good safe condition at all times
and that it is tagged to show that it has been tested within the
last year.
Never
· Permit
children to climb the walls,
· Deflate the
inflatable whilst it is in use
· Use the
inflatable in high winds
· Use the inflatable
if you have any doubts about its safety