Inflatable Inspector Kent
As an accredited RPII (Register of Play Inspectors International) we're enabled to perform annual inspections of all inflatable play equipment. If you would like to check our accreditation you can find us here: https://www.playinspectors.com/inspector/?i=27846
Here's a picture of me doing something very "inspectory" - A cool picture because it also shows something other than a bouncy castle being inspected.
If you would like to book us for your Inflatable Inspections, we would be very happy to discuss your requirements - We provide a day rate depending on the volume of inflatables or just as easily quote for a single inflatable, we can travel to most UK mainland places for a fair travel expense, we can provide a venue if you prefer to travel to us and we carry indemnity insurance from the UK leading insurance broker for inflatable inspectors - GM Imber. Please contact us or call on 07946 293597.
We are accredited RPII inflatable play inspectors, there are other schemes for inflatables; Such as PIPA and ADIPS. We opted for the RPII as they are the longest serving, industry recognised, HSE recognised and they are who provides accreditation to the competence levels required by the Pertexa Inflatable Play Accreditation (PIPA) scheme; Making them in our view the industry standard.
So What is a Bouncy Castle Test?
To be clear, there's no such thing as a "bouncy castle tester"; This is just an adopted industry term. It's difficult to ignore the phrase and I can't imagine it will ever dissapear, but one of the reasons some like to correct people when they hear it is because there's no such thing as a "test" for inflatables - Instead, it's an inspection report and the person carrying it out is an inflatable inspector.
It's a bit of a weird distinction - Technically as test isn't carried out; It's an inspection report that indentifies whether the inflatable meets the requirements in BSEN 14960:2019, the standard used for inflatables.
You're not going to upset me though by calling me a bouncy castle tester, although these days "bouncy castle" a narrow term - There' so many different types of inflatables on the market that "bouncy castle" hardly begins to cover it.
The very short answer is there's no such thing as a bouncy castle test, but that isn't very helpful. A more useful answer is that all play inflatables require an annual inspection by a someone the HSE deems competent. As an accredited RPII inspector that's exactly what we provide - We issue an inspection report confirming whether the inflatable meets the requirements of BSEN 14960:2019 (the standard for inflatable play equipment).
The inspection report is different for different types of inflatables, but there are many parts that are constants; From anchor points to entrapments, condition, air-loss points, pressure and many other point checks that are carried out regardless of whther the inflatable is a ball pool, bouncy castle or swimming pool assault course.
How Do We Book Our Inspections in and do you cover our Area?
This is pretty easy to answer - Whether you only need a single bouncy castle (or other type of inflatable), entire leisure centre air-park or an entire hire fleet "tested", you can start by contacting us and discussing what you need.
We're happy to travel and will quote what we believe is a reasonable travel expense when working for a day rate - Although this is less economically viable the further we have to travel if there's only few inflatables. If there are only a few, then we're always very happy to carry out the inspections at our own venue.
We're also quite happy to provide multiple days - Some operators have very large hire fleets and often want to get all of them done at the same time once a year; It's not a problem for us to cover multiple days running and often works out the most cost effective way of carrying out your annual inspections.
What Inflatables Do You Test/Inspect?
That's a fair question - There are some inspection schemes that will only inspect certain types of inflatables; Some are in-scope and some are out-of-scope.
We're very pleased to share that as an accredited RPII annual inflatable inspector we are able to issue inspection reports for all types of inflatables; Whether it's something as common as an inflatable ball pool, a bouncy castle, assault course, inflatable game, bungee run, leap of faith, snow globes, rodeo bull bed etc. The list goes on and on; We are able to inspect and provide reports for all of these types of inflatables.
To be clear, as an accredited RPII inspector we will inspect all different types of inflatable games, whether they are a non-ride on game or a ride-on game, they are all possible to inspect and inspection reports issued.
How Long Does it Take to Inspect an Inflatable?
We get it - Whether it's a single bouncy castle you need "testing" or a whole hire fleet, time is money and you want to work out roughly how long it's going to take. A lot of companies have a whole load of inflatables and many people are now running into multiple days of testing, it's not just "testing day" anymore, it's seveal days over the year or two, three or sometimes even an "inspection week".
It's tricky to answer - A standard children's bouncy castle on a first initial inspection might take 25 minutes if it's in good condition, but a leisure centre may technically only have one inflatable but it takes the entire day because it is so complex and so enormous. It really does depend on the type of inflatable and it's complexity - A multi-part assault course is going to take much longer than an inflatable ball pool.
Having said that, if the operator is happy to put the inflatable up themselves and pack it away, leaving the inspector to exclusively carry out the inspection only, then you will find that the volume of inflatables that's possible to safely inspect that day is higher than if you need assistance setting up and packing away. - Quite often the most cost effective way is to have a small team of 2-3 people that feeding the inspector inflatables at a constant pace, making the most of a day-rate.
How Much Do you Charge?
We would encourage you to contact us for a quote. It really does depend on how many inflatables you need inspecting and the type of inflatables. It's very difficult to provide a static cost as huge inflatable air-parks at fixed premises can take an entire day to inspect. Some people only one bouncy castle inspected (which is completely fine) and some people have an entire hire fleet.
It can be as little as £75 to inspect a standard child's bouncy castle, but quite often a day rate is the most cost effective way of completing as many inspections as possible for the lowest price - We're very happy to stick in a good shift and work hard, we are competant and swift, but to be clear, we will never rush through - Safety is always the priority and we will never cut corners, we carry out quality inspections.
Do I Really Need to Get My Inflatables Inspected?
Yes! The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) is law. For inflatable operators this means that you have a responsiblity to ensure that your play equipment is inspected by someone the HSE deems competent every year. As an accredited RPII inflatable inspector we're enabled to carry out these inspections and provide you a report, fullfilling this requirement.
Not only that though, but quite often bouncy castle hire companies or inflatable operators do not know the standard (BSEN 14960:2019) requirements for the inflatable itself. They know how to operate it safely, but they do not know exactly what the requirements are for the inflatable and an inspector can tell them if and where it falls short and why. With so many imports from other countries, sometimes operators are unwittingly caught short!
You need them for your insurance to be valid...
All insurance companies that we know of will only defend a claim and support their client if the inflatable has a valid and indate inspection report. This is a tricky point because many many insurance companies and brokers will sell you the cover and as a bouncyc astle hire company you believe that you're insured and covered, but when you read the small print it will state that it's only valid in certain circumstances - One of the main ones being that it has a current inspection report by a recognised inspector. - Just because you're paying the premium, do not be fooled into believing you are insured without the inspections being carried out.
Want to Find Out More?
Check out our page here that adds even more details about inflatable inspections.