As the owner of Bounce Back Castles Ltd, a bouncy castle hire company based in Norwich, I have seen the industry evolve since we entered the market over six years ago. Bouncy castles and inflatables are hugely popular for children’s birthday parties, school fetes, garden parties, weddings and end of season football events. It is hugely important that all bouncy castles and inflatables that are hired out on a commercial basis undergo an annual test in accordance with BS EN 14960:2019 This is to ensure that the bouncy castle is suitable for continued commercial use, as well as to identify any potential issues that may cause a safety issue in the future, such as delamination. It is also very likely that if a bouncy castle is not tested that any insurance cover will most likely be voided. If you are looking for an inflatable testing service then we can also provide that, please visit the Bounce Back Castles Ltd website for further details.
There are a variety of testing schemes in place, although all tests are done in accordance with BS EN 14960:2019 owners of bouncy castles can choose to have their inflatables on the PIPA database, or alternatively they can have an in-house test issued by an RPII inspector, or an ADIPS test. The PIPA database is often a requirement of many schools and corporate customers as they can instantly check the tag number on the bouncy castle directly on the PIPA website to ensure the test has not expired. The PIPA scheme currently allows bouncy castles, bouncy castles with slides, inflatable slides and obstacle courses to be placed on the PIPA database.
In 2019 the BS EN 14960 standard also added a specific section for the annual testing of inflatable jumping pillows, permanent inflatable structures that are often at diversified farms and the like. Bounce Back Castles Ltd are able to offer inflatable jumping pillow testing so please get in touch if you have any questions or if we can be of any help in this regard.
If you are looking at starting a bouncy castle hire business, or if you already have a business that supplies bouncy castles and you are unsure of the testing requirements or require any further information then please get in touch with us on 01603 395209
