How we look after your data
Please read this Privacy Notice. It relates to how The PIPA Testing Scheme Ltd (”PIPA"/”we”/“us”/“our”) holds and processes your information (data) and your rights.
About PIPA
PIPA is a company limited by guarantee, meaning it does not distribute its profits amongst members or directors. It’s main purpose is the health and safety related to inflatable units. We are recognised by the Health & Safety Executive as a testing scheme for inflatable equipment. As such, we train and certify people who wish to become inflatable inspectors, who then become a member of the scheme. All the work we do goes towards improving the inflatable industry. PIPA is registered with the ICO and our registration number is ZA545219. We are a limited company and our registered office is at PIPA, 301 Tea Factory, Liverpool, L1 4DQ.
Our website is www.pipa.org.uk (“website”)
PIPA is a "data controller". This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use data about you. We are required under data protection legislation to notify you of the information contained in this privacy notice. We have a duty to keep your data secure and maintain your confidentiality and we will do so.
PIPA’s company structure
PIPA is operated by the PIPA office and the PIPA Leadership Group (“PLG”). The PIPA office are directly employed individuals responsible for the day-to-day operation of the scheme. The PLG are a group of members and co-opted individuals who are voted in to sit on the PLG. They hold responsibility for how PIPA is operated and the strategic aims in PIPA’s work. The PLG is mainly a volunteer type function, by people who are involved within the industry, are members, or have expertise which contributes to PIPA and the wider industry. As some of the work PIPA needs to undertake goes beyond a voluntary role, PIPA contracts some of the work out to third parties, some of whom may also be PLG members.
1) Members
Information we collect:
The data we collect includes their name, company/business name, email address, contact telephone numbers, and postal address. It also includes details of their membership, type or level of membership, history of membership, correspondence and communications with us, subscriptions paid and due, and details of any complaints or matters involving the member in which we have been involved.
We will also hold/process any other data that members provide to us voluntarily (whether via our website, by email, verbally, or in writing) or that we ask you, as a member, to provide which is relevant to and required for us to provide the benefits of membership or deal with any matter in which the member, or one of their customers, has asked that we become involved.
How we will use your data:
In order to provide membership services, we will use your data to:
- Administer your membership, including payments and renewals
- Deal with any queries raised by you
- Process any complaints or concerns raised against you
- Audit your work, or check compliance against the scheme rules
- Compile statistics and research
- Perform any necessary tasks as laid out within the scheme rules
In order to properly carry out our function in public safety and to meet certification standards under ISO 17024, we publish a register of inspector members to allow people to collaborate and confirm your membership with PIPA. We do so as part of your contractual arrangements as a member of PIPA. You agree for us to use your information in such a way when joining or renewing your membership.
How long we retain your data:
We retain all information and data relating to our members for so long as the member retains their membership. After a member’s membership has come to an end (by whatever means), this data will be retained for 10 years in case of any health & safety investigations. Data will be retained for the past 10 years if a current investigation is underway.
3) Visitors to our website
When you visit or use the website (whether as a member of PIPA, a third party, or a member of the general public), we use analytics to collect information about you by way of cookies. For more information about the cookies we use and how long the data taken will be retained for by us please see our Cookie Policy.
We use cookies on a lawful basis; you provide consent when visiting the website for the first time that you agree for the purposes of monitoring use of our website, track the use of our website, to keep our website updated and relevant, to develop our organisation, to inform our marketing strategy and to improve and develop website performance. It is also necessary for us to use these cookies to enhance and assist your experience when visiting our website.
We will only use the cookies for these purposes.
If you use our website to submit information or questions to us, then we will collect and retain the data you send to us in order to fulfil the function you requested. We do so by obtaining your consent to process your information for the intended purpose. Your data will be retained for the duration of fulfilling the function you requested, after which we will not retain your data for longer than 1 year.
4) Complaints or Concerns
Information we collect:
If you submit a complaint to us, we will collect details about you in order for us to process the complaint. It will include your name, email address and phone number. It may also include details of your business, a correspondence address, and details of the concern raised. After submitting your complaint, we will seek your consent to share this information with whom the complaint is against, which will enable us to investigate the complaint in full.
How we will use your data:
We process complaints using consent as a lawful basis. You do not have to consent to PIPA sharing your information in such a manner, but it would seriously restrict any complaint or action which we can take.
In the event the complaint or concern is of such a serious nature that we must inform an enforcing body (such as the Police or HSE), we will rely upon the lawful basis of a Vital Interest in order to process your data. When disclosing such information, we will only provide enough information as necessary to carry out the public protection task.
How long we retain your data:
Any details collected regarding a complaint, or a concern may be retained for up to 10 years, unless there is an ongoing investigation which requires the information to be retained for longer. After this time period we may retain the complaint itself but remove any identifiable information.
5) PIPA Training & Examination Courses (including third party training)
Information we collect:
The data we request as part of PIPA training or third-party training includes your name, company/business name, email address, contact telephone numbers, and postal address.
How we use your data:
Your data is used to operationally deliver the training courses, track your progress, and triangulate information related to your training and assessment (if applicable). We do so only following your consent which you provide at the point of registration and sharing your information with us.
How long we retain your data:
If you have enquired about a training course or enrolled onto a PIPA training course or third party training course, we may retain your data for a period of 5 years.
6) Marketing & Mailing Lists
Information we collect:
This data is obtained through sign up forms or through requests you make to us. This includes your name, company/business name, email address, contact telephone numbers, and postal address.
How we use your data:
Your data is used to provide you with information and updates as often as we feel is necessary. We do so only following your consent which you provide to us prior to PIPA contacting you in this manner.
How long we retain your data:
We retain this data on an ongoing basis until we no longer use it for 24 months, or if you contact us to remove your details from our systems.
Data sharing
The data collected by PIPA will be used in a manner which ensures it is kept secure and is not shared outside of the company without your express consent. When we refer to PIPA using your data, we mean: the PIPA office and its employees, members of the PLG (who have signed a confidentiality agreement), PIPA’s contracted service providers (who may be data processors), and any software PIPA uses in order to store and process your information. All of the above have written agreements in place which regulates their processing activities.
We work with a number of third parties in order to carry out specific services and functions. The third parties act as an agent of PIPA and so have written agreements in place to protect and limit how your data is used. The basis they may use the data we share with them is limited solely to the intended purpose, for example; providing training, investigating a complaint, or providing IT services.
We may also share information related to current members of PIPA with our subsidiary company, PCERT Limited. We do this to help manage your membership in an efficient manner and we only share information such as complaint details, auditing information, and any concerns we receive which impacts your standing as a certified person.
We may also share data with our insurance provider or legal advisers where we deem it necessary to do so.
Your data will not otherwise be shared with any other third party without your consent.
Your rights
You have:
We are obliged to ensure that the data we hold about you is correct. You have the right to ask for the data to be rectified if it is not correct and we will then take appropriate action to do so.
You also have the right to restrict the processing of your data or to object to the processing of your data, as well as the right to ask that your data (or some of your data) be erased.
Further, you have the right to seek confirmation of the fact that we are processing your data, to ask what that data comprises, and also to ask for copies of your data we hold.
How to exercise your rights
If you would like to exercise any of the rights in paragraph 6, please email info@pipa.org.uk or write to us at the registered address: PIPA, 301 Tea Factory, Fleet Street, Liverpool, L1 4DQ. We will then consider your request and action as necessary although in some circumstances we may have a legitimate reason for not being able to action your request. If this should be the case, then we will notify you of the reason why.
If you have any cause for complaint
If you have any cause for complaint, or do not believe that we are processing your data fairly or in line with our obligations as a data controller, then we would ask that you contact us by emailing info@pipa.org.uk or by writing to our registered office: PIPA, 301 Tea Factory, Fleet Street, Liverpool, L1 4DQ
Cookie Policy
Our website uses cookies to accomplish its technical goals:
● Analytical cookies - We use Google Analytics to measure traffic to the site and to help plan future development. Your details are anonymised and cannot be linked back to your real identity. The cookies will be removed when you close your browser and are not used to build a profile of you.
● Functionality cookies - If you log into our system, we store a cookie to keep you logged into your account. This is required in order to provide the system's core functionality.
You can clear your browser's cookies at any time.