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UK Manufactured Bouncy Castles
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PIPA Testing – What is it and is it needed?
PIPA Testing – What is it and is it needed?
PIPA (Professional Inflatable Play Association) testing is a safety inspection scheme for inflatable play devices such as Bouncy Castles. It ensures equipment meets BS EN 14960 standards, with inspections conducted by RPII-trained professionals, issuing a PIPA tag and certificate to guarantee safety and regulatory compliance.
Key Aspects of PIPA Testing:
- Purpose: Ensures inflatable safety to reduce accidents, required for public hire or commercial use.
- Components Inspected: Evaluates structural integrity, anchor points, unit pressure, and design.
- The Tag: A unique PIPA tag and sticker with a number (e.g., PIPA Tagging Scheme) are added to the inflatable after a successful inspection, which can be verified in a public online database.
- Responsibility: It is the responsibility of the operator/owner of the inflatable to ensure that they have a valid PIPA inspection for their equipment.
To See what inflatables can currently be tested under PIPA – Click Here
Is PIPA a Legal Requirement?
No PIPA is not a legal requirement, however it is a legal requirement that all Bouncy Castles and Inflatables have a valid safety test (this doesn’t have to be obtained from PIPA) this can be undertaken by the manufacturer of the item, RPII or PIPA. Your Inflatable MUST be tested every 12 months to ensure it is still safe for use and you should always keep copies of your safety documents as some customers will want to see evidence that they are safety tested.
However whilst PIPA isn’t the legal requirement as PIPA inspectors are now so widespread across the UK it is often more convenient for customers to get retesting done through them as it is often more logical than booking it in with the manufacturer who might be further away from you.
All Bouncy Castles fall under the BSEN 14960 Regulations and this is what is important as these regulations are what is adhered to for manufacturing and testing.
So What is BSEN 14960?
BS EN 14960 is the European and British safety standard for inflatable play equipment, particularly focusing on inflatable units where the main activity is bouncing or sliding, for Children. It defines strict requirements for design, materials, manufacturing, and operation to minimize risks, often verified by annual inspections.
Key aspects of BS EN 14960 include:
- Design and Construction: Mandates safety features like non-slip surfaces, secure anchorage, and robust materials resistant to environmental factors.
- Safety Requirements: Sets standards for anchorage (e.g., minimum 16mm x 380mm stakes) and maximum wind speed limitations for safe operation.
- Applicability: Applies to commercial, fairground, and hire inflatables, but typically not to domestic toys, water-borne equipment, or air-supported buildings.
- Inspections: Requires regular maintenance and annual tests by competent persons (such as the Manufacturer, PIPA or RPII registered inspectors)
The current standard, BS EN 14960-1:2019, replaced the 2013 version, incorporating stricter guidelines for inflatables on hard standing and splitting the standard into different parts.
Some points that are checked during a safety test are:-
- Anchor Points
- Anchor Integrity
- Pegs
- Material/ Seams
- Stitching
- Air Pressure
- Wall heights
- Fall Off points
- Entrapment
- Safety Labelling
- Plus So Much More
Can Inflatables be tested if they don’t fall under the BSEN Standards?
Whilst some inflatables don’t technically fall under the items included under the BSEN they can still be assessed by a competent person (manufacturer, RPII and PIPA if it falls under their scope) following the same principles as the BSEN 14960 Standards and it is still important that these are obtained and redone every 12 months thereafter as by law all equipment must be tested regularly the safest operation.
Blowers must also be PAT Tested every 12 months like all electrical equipment.
We hope that this has helped clarify anything but don’t forget that as always you can contact us if you have any questions.
