Whether you are a school, a group, or an organisation, you may want to find out more about hiring inflatables and what PIPA does for you.
Inflatables are a fun and accessible activity for all. As they can come in all shapes and sizes, an inflatable activity fits into most spaces you will have available for your school or organisation.
So what do you need to consider when hiring an inflatable?
Inflatables are classed as a type of amusement device by the health & safety executive (HSE). They are required to be manufactured to recognised standards or industry guidance.
To help ensure the inflatable device remains safe, they are required to be inspected each year by a competent person. The PIPA scheme is there to ensure inspectors can demonstrate they are competent to undertake inflatable safety inspections and keep themselves up to date with current industry practices. This helps you with your due diligence in checking the inflatable safety inspection has been carried out correctly, and the inspector has been audited to ensure they remain competent.
To check the inflatable is safe, ask for a copy of the device’s latest safety inspection report. This may be issued by PIPA, a manufacturer, or by an inspection body.
For more information about inflatable safety inspections, check out our link to our help sheet ‘do inflatables need testing?’.
Do Inflatables Need Testing?
As inflatables are devices which are hired out to members of the public, the people or company who operate the inflatable need to do so safely.
To demonstrate this, the company should be able to confirm or show evidence their team have completed an operator training course. This will provide you with the necessary assurance that they are meeting health & safety requirements in demonstrating they know how to use the equipment, and it is set up in a safe manner.
Operator training courses are not regulated and can be provided by any company. PIPA has created an operator training course which is available through its inspectors. It follows good industry practice to train and assess people in a secure manner. And it ensures the training is of high quality, and those who have completed are provided with industry updates.
Those hiring inflatables need to show they have considered all of the risks associated with hiring the device, and steps have been taken to reduce the risk.
To do this, the person or company hiring the inflatable should have completed a written risk assessment. Some of the considerations include what to do if the power goes out, how to operate on hard standard, and windy conditions. There should be a control in place for each risk. Some of the controls may relate to method statements or standard operating procedures – which are written procedures for operating the inflatable.
Requesting a copy of the risk assessment helps to gain assurances these risks have been considered. More information is available on the HSE website, found on following link.
Bouncy castles and other play inflatables: safety advice
It goes without saying that the company or person hiring the inflatable should have public liability insurance in place, in the event of an accident. Whilst inflatables are a safe activity, insurance is key in providing piece of mind for end users, and those who make inflatables available on their land or to their group user’s.
Some of the key checks with insurance include:
During the hire and use of an inflatable, certain safety checks are required to ensure it remains safe. These include:
More information is available on the HSE’s guidance for inflatables.
Bouncy castles and other play inflatables: safety advice
To help schools and organisations carry out the correct due diligence checks, PIPA has created a checklist for you to download and complete.
If you have concerns about an inflatable, please refer to our page ‘I want to raise a complaint’.
Hiring An Inflatable ChecklistUnderstand our Tags
PIPA Tags are the registration plate of inflatables which fall under the PIPA inspection scheme.
Understand our Reports
Inspection reports are issued by PIPA inspectors against tagged devices