Safe use of Bouncy Castles

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Sadly, the risks of using bouncy castles have made news headlines recently following a horrible incident in Australia.

If village hall committees don’t take adequate action to ensure the safe use of such items, then they could be held liable in case of injury.

Martyn Ingram from Norris & Fisher said “Bouncy Castles are a great addition to any children’s party and a popular activity for Community Buildings. We are often asked if we are able to provide cover for inflatables at events.

Event insurance varies between insurers but if you have a specialist Village Hall insurance policy then cover should be included for Bouncy Castles at no additional cost. However, due to the risks involved there will usually be guidelines imposed by insurers to ensure the minimum safety requirements are followed.”

As a minimum, insurers will ask that you comply with the following:

• access and use is controlled by an authorised adult employee or volunteer at all times
• when used outside a building, the bouncy castle is securely anchored to the ground
• each anchor point is signed, or otherwise marked to be made easily visible, and wrapped to prevent trips
• soft matting is used to cover hard surfaces adjacent to the front or any open sides where there is a risk of injury from falling from the inflatable

In addition, using bouncy castles can increase the risk of injury, particularly to children and others who may not be aware of the dangers.

Where you provide(or are responsible for) bouncy castles, extra care should be taken to prevent injuries by making sure measures are put in place that help reduce this risk, for example:

• following the manufacturer’s or supplier’s safety recommendations
• requiring children to remove sharp articles like shoes, buckles or jewellery
• not allowing overcrowding, particularly by children – to help prevent knocking into each other
• not allowing a mix of large and small children at the same time – to avoid larger children crushing the smaller ones
• not allowing use by adults and children at the same time
• not allowing any access to the very youngest children, e.g. under 2 years old

Should you have any queries on this or any other insurance matter then please do not hesitate to contact us at Norris & Fisher. We would be happy to discuss your requirements. You can reach us by email at contact@norrisandfisher.com or visit www.villagehallinsurance.co.uk