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Sound & Reliable Footing

Carrying on with our series of articles to help you understand the European Safety standard, this week we look at setting up inflatables with a Sound & Reliable Footing.

The standard EN14960 states a bouncy castle or play inflatable must have a sound and reliable footing.

The technical requirement is an internal pressure of 1kPa. This is a measurement of pressure that is required inside the inflatable. This is typically measured using a magnehelic or water gauge. This gauge measures the difference in pressure between the air outside the inflatable and the air inside the inflatable.

Why do inflatables need a sound and reliable footing?

Mainly to stop the users hitting the ground. When children climb on an inflatable bouncy castle, obstacle course or slide, they fully expect – and rightly so – that the surface will be soft and bouncy with sufficient impact attenuation to break their fall comfortably. 

Another reason that you might not be aware of is stability. Any inflatable operating to the proper pressure is sufficiently stable. This is particularly important for retaining walls.

An inflatable operating under the required pressure becomes potentially dangerous inflatable:

1 – The users may hit the ground in the normal course of play.

2 – The internal walls may not be strong enough to retain users.

3 – The inflatable is more likely to become unstable causing it to blow away.

**There is a definite and proven relationship between low pressure and instability**

Who has the responsibility to make sure the inflatable is operating to the recommended pressure?

The person or company who hires out the inflatable has total responsibility for making sure the inflatable is operating at least to the minimum pressure. 

As a person or company who hires out inflatables, how can you comply with this requirement?

1 – A pressure test will be carried out by your inspection body during the inflatable annual inspection . 

2 – You can check the pressure yourself by a traditional method of standing on the front step 50cm in from the front edge and 50cm in from the side edge. If you weigh at least 85 kilos and stand at this point with your feet together and you do not touch the ground then you have a sound a reliable footing. If you are not the required weight then ask a heavier person to help you.

In the U K., PIPA under the direction of the HSE have decided that all operators (persons or companies who hire out inflatables) should have a Magnehelic gauge or a Manometer in order to check each and every inflatable during the routine inspection check prior to each use.

Remember, if any inflatable does not reach the required pressure on its annual or routine inspection then it is not fit for use!

The IIHF will shortly adopt as best practice, that each inflatable’s pressure be measured by a reliable instrument each time it is made ready for use. This means at every hire before handover.

One other major factor that effects the working pressure of an inflatable is the Blower or the fan used to inflate the unit. 

The standard dictates that the size of the blower required to inflate the unit to the required pressure must be written clearly on the inflatable. This is important so as to make sure the correct strength of blower is used for that particular inflatable. 

A common practice that has creeped in over the years – particularly in Ireland – is when an inflatable is submitted for its annual inspection, the blower is not submitted with it. 

Very often the safety certificate will say ‘BLOWER NOT TESTED‘. This practice is not a valid safety procedure and must be replaced a better system.

We will visit this thorny and important subject in the next and 5th blog in this series from the IIHF.

Remember, ‘Pressure IS for Bouncy Castles

Protect that child, Protect this industry!!

Contact The IIHF

If you have any questions at all regarding the inflatable industry in Ireland, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at the Irish Inflatable Hirers Federation. We’re here to help!

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