Toy bouncy castles on hire!
As we approach the peak season for the inflatable hire industry, it is important to be vigilant about the inflatables you choose to hire out. It has come to our attention that there has been a surge in reports of toy castles being hired out to the public. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that these inflatables are not suitable for commercial use and are not compliant with BS EN 14960, which is an industry standard for inflatable play equipment.
Toy bouncy castles can range from a paddling pool-style rubber, typically inflated by mouth or small electric device, through to a nylon inflatable with a more traditional airflow blower. However, neither of these types of inflatables is suitable for commercial use, hire or reward. They are not recognized by insurance companies, HSE, ADIPS, or PIPA as a commercial product. As such, the consequences of misuse of this equipment can be severe.
Please be aware that these inflatables are designed for domestic use under parental supervision and can usually be purchased from popular high street retailers, rather than commercial suppliers.
How to identify non compliant units & Cheap toys
It is important to identify non-compliant units and cheap toys to ensure the safety of users and to prevent any legal liability that may arise from misuse. Here are some of the key characteristics of non-compliant inflatables:
- Poor quality and very small anchor stakes.
- These inflatables are usually supplied with small, yellow, snail shaped fan rated at less than 1.0kW (1000W).
- Very thin nylon materials.
- Not certified FR (Flame retardant).
- Usually carry the CE toy mark.
- Usually states “Not for commercial use” or “Domestic toy” on the label.
- No mention of BS EN14960 on the packaging.
- Does not come with initial test certification to EN14960.
- No mention of maximum user height and numbers which should be clearly visible whilst the inflatable is in use.
- Low wall heights and a floppy feel to them.
- Usually delivered in a box .
Below are a number of photographs, showing the type of inflatables that are typically non commercial.
What should you do if you see a non-commercial or non-compliant unit in use?
The first port of call should be to approach the operator with friendly and helpful advice as a pleasant exchange is usually the best way to get results that befit the wider industry and after all, some may not know they are in the wrong.
1) Send a copy of this bulletin "How to identify non compliant units & Cheap toys" to the operator to give them some background, or contact PIPA, who can then liaise if they have any questions, Please remember, It’s likely that they are new to the industry and unaware of the regulation. Many recipients are often grateful for the help and you appreciate the move forward.
2) If nothing changes or the operator isn’t willing to listen to the advice. Report the issue to PIPA via the following details and they would be happy to address the issue.
- Email: info@pipa.org.uk
- Telephone: 01684 252910
- Address: 8-9 Acorn Business Centre, Hanley Swan, Worcestershire, WR8 0DN
Please include the date and time of incident, Photographic evidence, The company name, address, email address and website if possible in order for us to help educate the operator.
3) Should the incident be of a more dangerous nature and the operators not willing to listen, they can be reported to the HSE directly on the HSE website by following this link to the online report form: https://services.hse.gov.uk/concernform/
When you submit it you will get an acknowledgement. If you can't use the form, you can phone the HSE direct on 0300 003 1647 and we will fill in the form with you. Our lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm (on Wednesdays we are open from 10am to 5pm).
How to do things right!
At Betterbounce, we take safety seriously and only provide commercial-grade inflatables that meet the BS EN 14960 standard. We are committed to providing high-quality, safe inflatables that meet industry standards and are suitable for commercial use. We understand that safety is paramount, and we are committed to ensuring that all our customers have a safe and enjoyable experience with our products.
To view a range of smaller, indoor inflatables that are compliant with the regulations, Please click here
We hope you find this information useful and hopefully we can tackle this issue together as an industry.
<< Return to news