06 December 20 - Safety Tests On Bouncy Castles and Other Play Inflatables

This article takes a brief look at safety tests on bouncy castles and other play inflatables which children and/or adults bounce or slide on.

The European Standard for is BSEN14960:2013.

This Standard is designed not to eliminate all risks when playing on inflatables but to reduce and manage the risks. The Standard is basically broken down into various responsibilities.

Firstly the manufacturer of the inflatable has a responsibility to adhere to all the requirements of the Standard. Any obvious hazards that the inflatable may have such as entrapment points, insufficient wall height and too short a step etc. should be eliminated by the manufacturer at the design stage prior to production.

The hire company also has a responsibility to ensure the Standard is adhered to as well as anyone selling inflatables (e.g. a broker). The Standard runs to almost 50 pages and gets quite complex in places - but this article will highlight and simplify the most important points.

One of the most important aspects that the test will look at is the inflatables anchor points. Are they in good condition and secure? Are not frayed, worn or broken? Are there the correct number of anchor points? Six anchor points is the absolute minimum on a standard bouncy castle. Other Inflatables may require considerably more anchor points. Also, with regards to anchorage, testers measure the surface area of the inflatable exposed to the wind. They have calculations and formulas to work out how many anchor points are needed.

inflatable testers also have a special tool to pull and precisely measure the anchor point to 165 kg of weight. If an anchor point fails (or all of them fail) then the inflatable immediately will fail the test.

Another aspect that inflatable testers look at is containment. Containment means the height of the walls including the retaining walls on the bouncy castle and any built in raincover that will help to "contain" the users.

The height of the retaining walls get measured. The height of the walls will also determine the maximum height of the children that are allowed on the inflatable at any one time. (although if there is a strong built-in raincover attached to the top of the walls - then the height of the children allowed can be increased slightly as the containment is better).

There also should be no entrapment points where children could get a limb caught or even their head caught. The next major point of safety that testers look at is access and egress. That is to do with the height of the bed and the fall out (i.e. the step) and the relationship they both have to each other. Testers carefully measure the height of the bed and the important dimension is the distance from the ground to the very top of the step.

Inflatable testers also look at the structural integrity of the inflatable and they check that the pressure is sufficient enough when there are users bouncing and playing on the inflatable. inflatable testers achieve that by applying their own weight on the front of the inflatable and also in the centre. They are particularly interested to ensure that when they apply their full weight on the inflatable that the pressure of the inflatable is sufficient to prevent their feet from making contact with the ground.

inflatable testers also measure the difference in pressure between the inside of the play inflatable and the outside pressure. They use a special gauge to achieve this. If the pressure is less than it should be then testers usually advise that and may fail the inflatable. But obviously this is dependent on the inflatable being in good condition and no other problems which could account for the reduction in pressure.

The next thing that is tested is the length of the blower tube. It must be a minimum of 1.2 metres. The reason this is so important is that it helps to prevent a child from hitting their head on the blower if they hang or climb on the back wall and fall off. (However, adequate supervision should prevent them from doing this in the first place!). A second reason for having a blower tube of 1.2 metres is if the inflatable deflates unexpectedly due to say a power-cut.

Testers will also consider the maximum number of users that the inflatable can take as well as the height of those users. They measure the total surface area of the playing area and then use a special formula to calculate how many children are allowed on the playing area.

A requirement of the Standard is to have a label attached to the front or side of the inflatable which clearly shows how many children are allowed on depending on their height. (The taller they are then the fewer number of children are allowed on at any one time) This label should also clearly identify what type of blower should be used on the inflatable with respect to power output. Testers may also check the blower to make sure there is nothing missing such as the guard to protect inquisitive fingers from the impeller. Testers also check electrical connections to make sure they're safe. It's important to point out here that it is not the job of a tester to carry out a PAT test on the electrical equipment, but some might do for small extra fee.

Although some testers will be qualified to carry out a PAT test, it would be an entirely separate test. Once the Inflatable passes the test to en 14960:2013 Standard the tester will need to issue a certificate and input the information on the database on the official website at www.pipa.org.uk Every inflatable that is tested must have a unique identifying number or a serial number.

I hope this short article gives you a brief outline of what testers look at when they carry out an annual test on a play inflatable.