INPAS 2010 Stoneleigh Park
August 5, 2009 by funfactor
The Largest Display Of Inflatables, Play & Attractions Equipment In The UK
Who Should Visit The Show ?
Bouncy Castle Hire Companies, Event Organisers, Family Entertainment Centres, Hotel & Country Clubs, Mall & Retail Managers, Municipal & Local Authorities, Playground & Leisure Centres, Showmen, Theme Parks & Attractions, Zoos, Farm Attractions, Indoor Playcentres, etc
The exhibition takes place at :-
Stoneleigh Park Exhibition Centre,
Coventry,
CV8 2LZ
The Event takes place over two days the dates are :-
Tuesday 16 th March and Wednesday 17 th March
10.oo am until 5.00 pm
Inpas 2010 is your opportunity to view a large selection of inflatables, play equipment and other play related products direct from leading manufacturers and suppliers at the largest show of its type in the UK in 2010.
If your equipment is play related for either indoor or outdoor use then you should consider exhibiting at this major play industry event. Visitors are drawn from all sectors of the play industry. Following the success of INPAS 2009 the majority of exhibitors have already booked space for INPAS 2010. If you think you would like to exhibit your equipment or for further information visit the show web site www.inpas.co.uk or call 01442 245700.
An Insurance Scheme For Inflatable Hirers
August 4, 2009 by funfactor
BOUNCE INSURE
* Public Liability up to 5,000,000
* Employers Liability 10,000,000 (optional)
* Property Damage - Replacement Values (optional)
* Legal Expenses
£50,000 for HMRC Investigation
£2,000 for Aspect Enquiries
Business legal help line
Here are a few examples of equipment they insure :-
Bouncy Castles
Inflatable Slides
Bouncy Boxing / Sumo Suits
Surf Machines
Bucking Bronco / Multi rides
Soft Play & more
Bounce Insure cater for both dry hire and wet hire.
For a quote call :- 0870 6066668
Web site :- www.gmisl.co.uk
The Importance of PIPA testing
August 3, 2009 by funfactor
Every so often at PIPA HQ they get an anonymous call from someone alerting them of an inflatable hire company who is displaying the PIPA logo but does not actually use PIPA tested equipment. These situations are always hard to deal with. They always encourage operators to display the PIPA logo in order to raise awareness of the sceme. However it is the inflatables that are registered with PIPA and not the operators.
Unfortunately it is very easy for operators without PIPA tested equipment to obtain a copy of the PIPA logo and use it to gain credibility without actually getting their units inspected.
Obviously PIPA do want to preserve the integrity of the scheme, any inflatable without a tag is simply not PIPA registered. The status of an inflatable with a tag can be checked online http://www.pipa.org.uk/findTag.asp or at PIPA administration on 0207 340 6265. All you need is the unit tag number to find out wheather the unit is tested or not. Operators with PIPA tested equipment should be willing to give their tag numbers to prospective clients, if operators refuse then customers have every right to doubt their equipment.
Hopefully the extent of this practice will improve as PIPA’s new awareness campaign gathers pace. Their focus at the moment is to get the scheme recognised among local authority event organisers.
If you suspect an operator is claiming to have PIPA tested equipment but if fact does not you can contact PIPA through the website http://www.pipa.org.uk/publicReport.asp or on 0207 340 6265, an administrator from PIPA will then investigate.
Why Your Electrical Equipment MUST Be PAT Tested
July 31, 2009 by funfactor
The Law states that it is your responsibility to make sure that all items you hire are safe. PAT testing (Portable Appliance Test) is now law for all electrical items that a business owns which are used by the public, customers, contractors and employees etc.
Put simply if your equipment is not PAT Tested and someone has an accident resulting from a faulty electrical item then you can end up in serious trouble - by PAT testing you cover yourselves, have peace of mind that the equipment is safe and no harm will come to any users. In many cases you will not be able to rent out inflatables at some client’s premises (possibly council, hotel, corporate etc) unless your equipment has a valid PAT test certificate.
So if you don’t have your items PAT tested and an accident happens, it will be very likely you would be prosecuted in court and possibly fined. Your insurance would not normally cover this as it would have been neglect not to have had the item tested. In the worse case you could be fined very severely which could result in you losing your home, car, etc.
The PAT testing should be carried out at least once a year.
The items that need to be tested are basically any item that has a plug, so for bouncy castle operators it would include all fans, extension leads, and any other electrical items that you use.
For the small price of a yearly PAT test, is it worth not to get it done!
The Law For Operators Of Inflatables
July 31, 2009 by funfactor
The law for operators of inflatables
When a company, organisation or individual hires any equipment they become subject to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This act places a duty of care on everyone involved in the transaction. This means that the operator, the operator’s employees, the hirer, the hirer’s employees and the owner or manager of the premises should do everything possible to ensure the safe use of the equipment.
In addition Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) require that all work equipment, and that includes inflatable play, must be tested by a competent person regularly (usually once a year).
PIPA helps operators conform with the law by defining a ‘competent person’ as one who has passed a specialised examination and is registered with the RPII.
Inspection by a competent person prior to first use and annually thereafter provides fundamental confidence in the equipment itself, safe operation is not verified by PIPA. For that users and operators should refer to EIS7 which was issued by the HSE as explanatory guidelines for the industry and expanded on the 1974 Act in relation to inflatable play equipment. The latest version of EIS7 can be downloaded from: http://www.pipa.org.uk/publicBestPractice.pdf This document could be used as a measure of “Best Practice” in any legal proceedings.
PIPA is one of only two inspection schemes recognised by the HSE (The other is ADIPS)
Operators using other testing schemes or methods may be required to demonstrate how such procedures equal or better the accepted best practice. Testers with no formal qualifications, however well experienced, would probably not be able to satisfy a court of their competence.
BS EN 14960
In March 2007 the BSI finally published the long awaited European standard for inflatable play equipment.
For some time before that PIPA used the draft standard as the benchmark for inspections. The published standard differs from the draft in some detail only so is now adopted by the scheme. Inspectors will use discretion where these diferences apply and equipment or designs have been in use prior to publication of the standard.
The published standard is subject to copyright so cannot be made available from this site (as was the draft), it can only be purchased through BSI see http://www.bsonline.bsi-global.com/server/index.jsp (opens in new window)
Scope
Not all inflatable play devices are covered by the standard and therefore PIPA.
For example such devices as:
- Devices classified as toys
- Devices designed for use in pools
- Privately owned devices not hired out for reward
are not included
Information from PIPA website at: www.pipa.org.uk