Quality Assurance & Safety Guidance - Pool Inflatables
Safe operation and guidance of pool inflatables
Make sure to have a competent person in charge of the pool inflatable operators at all times. Pool inflatables are commercial-grade equipment and should be treated with the appropriate care and attention.
Before buying a pool inflatable, check that the intended operating area is suitable and the pool is fit for purpose. Ensure the pool is the right size and shape, with a suitable depth, secure anchor fixing points, and a safe, inaccessible area to house the inflation device.
Once the inflatable is on-site, always adhere to the following guidelines
- Please ensure a minimum water depth of 0.7m at the start of the inflatable and on any open side.
- Please ensure a minimum water depth of 1.0m on any raised side.
- Please ensure a minimum water depth of 1.5m on any open slide end.
- Please ensure the maximum gap at the start of the inflatable is anything from 0 to 0.5m maximum.
- Please ensure that the floor area a the start of the pool inflatable is protected for the 2.5m either direction to avid injury. This may need to include the area under the surface of the water.
- Please ensure the inflatable has a clear 2.5m safe zone from any obstruction, which includes the edge of the pool.
- Please ensure the pool is free from lane dividers which can cause unnecessary injury.
- Please ensure that 2 suitably qualified life guards are in place. One on each side of the inflatable. Additional spotters may also be used for maximum safety in line with your own risk assessment and professional judgement.
- Please ensure that there is an operator at the start of the inflatable to ensure only 2 users at any one time. This operator must be suitable competent to ensure that no users are allowed onto the inflatable until the last 2 users are clear of the 2.5m safe zone unless additional professional supervision is in place.
- Please ensure that the inflation device in secured in a way that it is inaccessible to the users and so that it's impossible to fall into the water.
- Please ensure the inflation device is connected to an appropriate power supply for a water environments.
- Please ensure the inflation device is kept elevated at all times to prevent water from travelling back up the flexible inflation pipe.
- Please ensure the flexible inflation pipe is not accessible to the users
- Please ensure that only 2 users are on the inflatable at any one time and that no users are allowed onto the inflatable until the last 2 users are clear of the 2.5m safe zone unless additional professional supervision is in place.
- Please ensure the inflatable in anchored using elastic rope for maximum safety at a minimum of 4 anchor locations as suggested in the diagram.
- This list is an example only and not exhaustive. Please do not use this list as a full training guide.
In addition to the above, You must have an evacuation procedure in place, A health and safety policy in place and suitably trained operators at ll times. You must also have a risk assessment and method statement to meet the requirements of the HSE. We are able to assist with this if required. This page is intended for guidance only n is not exhaustive.More detailed information will be provided with your finished product.
Quality Assurance
All our standard designs undergo rigorous testing before they are allowed to market. This includes spending anything upto 2 years in our own hire department to ensure all kinks have been ironed out before the product hits the market, although after almost 30 years in business it's very rare we have to revisit a design. Below is a list of bullet points to point out how we stand head and shoulders above the competition and to ensure you your in safe hands.
- Sealed/ Welded bed seams - All our pool inflatables feature a welded sealed bed to repel against water ingress. We are the only supplier in Europe to offer the inclusive service as standard. We believe after being in the market for almost 30 years we've learnt the hard way. In our most honest opinion and years of experience, we firmly believe that nothing even comes close to the quality and durability of a welded seam bed. The process increases the build time by over 70% However its the only way we can guarantee maximum quality at all times.
- Safety Evacuation time - Sealed also dramatically increase the emergency evacuation time of the inflatables ensuring the dedicated supervisor or life guard has more than adequate time to evacuate participants safely. Sealed beds can increase evacuation time by over 60% which is a massive advantage in the leisure industry.
- Why choose our products over our competitors? - Rest assured that all of our Water/ Pool inflatables suitable for fresh water, salt water and have had the PVC & thread specifically formulated for longevity in Chlorinated pools. The pool inflatables are perfect for Leisure centers, Lido's, Aqua parks, Water parks, Swimming baths, Leisure centers and other activity venues.
- Artwork - All our artworks are printed on industrial grade printing machines to within 100th of a mm ensuring maximum speed and quality. All inflatables are treated with flexible, scratch proof artwork inks or laminates to ensure maximum durability and longevity. The colours are professionally profiled by a engineer to ensure a match across our product range.
- Design & Production - All our designs are completed on complex Cad Cam software and cut to within 100th of a millimetre accuracy on dedicated PVC CNC machines giving unrivaled industry accuracy.
- Internal materials - All our internal materials are made from only the highest grade of airbag material where possible. Our airbag material is amazingly strong under tension, yet remains completely flexible in all weathers making the perfect structure for the pool inflatable industry. All our internals have specially designed air flow points to ensure rapid deflation and light enough to have a major impact on the overall weight of our products. Its the little things that make us stand out from the crowd!
- Inflatable safety certification - All our inflatables come complete with EN14960 or equivalent as standard. EN14960 is a European standard in which all inflatables should be designed to. Its not quite the law but something we are quite proud to adhere to and something our director actively promotes through his position on the PIPA advisory board.
- Additional safety - All our pool inflatables have undergone further rigorous safety testing procedure which includes our famous 50 point inspection which includes the testing of the Trough depth, Security of seams, Stitch size and spacing, Backtack and reinforcement inspection, Anchor point kn pull testing, accessory test and inspection, Wall and tower durability and stability testing, Blower tube identification & specification markings, Zip pocket and zip cover inspections, Flame retardancy retest, Certificate validation and basic FR retest test, Design review adherence certification, Fabric stress and shear strength test analysis and certification verification, Step, Ramp and platform compliance testing, Pressure and grounding compliance with EN14960, Testing of sharp and lose objects in the structure, identification of stress and high wear and tear points for suitable reinforcements, General stability control, Ropes, cargo nets and mesh aperture testing to EN71, Air loss points and pressure testing control, Critical fall of height calculation and compliance check, Thread inspection, stitch pattern and tension inspection, Netting compliance and aperture inspection, Entrapment of inflated surfaces, squeeze compliance and person space toggle testing, Deflation, evacuation and emergency exit compliance testing, User data compliance and design review date check, Lighting ad independent structure support point testing, Emergency lighting ad power installation (Including PAT test if required), Deflation speed and risk assessment, Slide wall heights ad run off compliance calculations, Clamber et, steps and slip sheet fitment ad compliance check, along with any PAT testing requirements the inflation device and cable systems may require.
- Paperwork - All pool inflatables are supplied with 12 Month Initial test certification or EN14960 certification where appropriate, 24 months warranty, Flame retardancy certification, Pat test certification where applicable, User manual/ Operating instructions & risk assessment and hire agreement templates. All our paperwork is available in multiple languages upon request.
- Blower Tube - All or inflatables are provided with multilingual inflation tags with correct blower and pressure specification displayed. Most of our designs also feature a zip to prevent accidental deflation. Each blower tube will be fitted with a buckle strap to securely fasten the flexible duct in place.
- Deflation Zips - All our inflatables come with at least one deflation zip to allow for a more speedy pack up time. These zips are covered with a velcro flap that peels out of the way to aid deflation, solving the annoying problem of self closing zips!
- Anchor Points - All our anchor points are built to exceed the legal requirement of 163kn per anchor. We only use welded stainless steel D rings and 2" herringbone webbing for extra durability. Our anchors are suitable for approved ropes, approved pegs/ stakes or raw bolt washers greater than 80mm.
- Stress Points - All our inflatables are quad stitched at high stress points and reinforced internally ensuring maximum longevity of the product.
- Flame retardant - All our materials are flame retardant to M1 or M2 specification where required and fully compliant to BS5438 and BS5867.
- PVC Material - We only use the very best PVC in the world. The material we use is a non laminated Polyester or Nylon weave coated on both sides in a thick PVC mix. The PVC is formulated specifically for us in a laboratory to give perfect anti fungal protection to prevent mold, perfect UV stabilization to prevent fading and over 100 denier base cloth to prevent the tearing under stress. All the materials are Lead free, Cadmium free, Certified to M1 or M2 specification where suitable and fully compliant to BS5438 and BS5867. The PVC is suitable for all products associated with EN71 and EN14960 use, all wrapped up in a really glossy professional, easy wipe finish.
Please see our terms and conditions for full details.
If there's anything your unsure of, Please feel free to get in touch with one of our technical advisers via the Contact us page and we'll be happy to help.
We hope this helps for now and if you need to ask any questions, simply send us an email to info@better-bounce.co.uk via the Contact us page or give one of our technical team a call on : 0113 8878264
We hope this helps for now and if you need to ask any questions, simply send us an email to info@better-bounce.co.uk via the Contact us page or give one of our technical team a call on the following details.
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