Tag: RPII

RPII Launches Play Safety Week

The leading global body for play equipment safety, the Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII) launched the UK’s first Play Safety Week yesterday (Monday 9th September).

Play Safety Week has been created to drive awareness and education in play safety at a time when many children will be returning back to school and using school equipment and also utilising play equipment on their walk and return from school.

Play Safety Week has been created for schools, organisations, and families to come together to educate, celebrate, discuss and raise awareness of what play safety really means. This includes attitudes to risk, supervision, and accidents.

It aims to increase fulfilling play opportunities for children by dispelling the most common myths about play safety. It also aims to educate play equipment owners and schools on the importance of the right equipment, inspection and maintenance protocols for play equipment.

Play is a fundamental part of children’s development and is crucial for physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Through play, children learn essential life skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and communication, which are vital for success later in life. In today’s tech focussed world, play is even more important for children to switch off from the digital world and express themselves freely.

According to the RPII, the top 5 most common myths about play safety are:

  1. Playgrounds should be completely risk-free: In fact, exposure to acceptable levels of risk is vital for child development. 1
  2. You must supervise children at all times to prevent accidents: Children learn more when they are left to explore their boundaries. There is no blanket rule that children must be supervised at all times on play equipment in the UK and adults should assess each situation individually. 2
  3. Adults must intervene when children play on play equipment: According to Play England, children learn to assess and manage risks through unstructured play. Overly cautious supervision or intervention can actually hinder this learning process and also potentially lead to more accidents.3
  4. There should be no accidents on play equipment: Minor accidents are a normal part of play. These experiences help build resilience and confidence, enabling children to face challenges and setbacks in other areas of life.
  5. Safer surfaces prevent all injuries: Some surfaces such as rubber significantly reduce the severity of some injuries, however they do not eliminate all risks. Children can still suffer from fractures and other injuries from falls. 4

David Yearley, Chair of the RPII said: “The Play Safety Week campaign has been created to raise awareness about what play safety is in today’s world. We want to educate parents, teachers and playground owners about how to manage and maintain play equipment and what constitutes ‘safe play’.

“The campaign also celebrates our commitment to safe play for children everywhere. The UK’s playgrounds and play centres meet some of the highest standards of safety and inclusiveness in the world, and we want to keep it that way.

“By working together, we can ensure that our playgrounds remain a source of joy, discovery, and growth for all.”

Liz Cheshire, Operations Director, at the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: “At RoSPA, we fully support the Play Safety Week campaign. Play is essential for children’s holistic development, and ensuring their safety while encouraging natural risk-taking is a delicate balance.

“This campaign offers vital resources and education that can help schools, parents, and communities create environments where children can play, learn, and grow safely. Together, we can foster a culture of play that prioritises safety without stifling the adventurous spirit of childhood.”

The RPII has created a number of free assets for schools, parents and other organisations to download to help to educate parents, co-workers and playground owners with guidelines for play safety on a range of outdoor, indoor and inflatable equipment.

You can sign up to support and share the campaign directly on the campaign website website www.playsafetyweek.org.

Bouncy Castle Safety Warning

1.7 million adults in Scotland planning on hosting a garden party this summer

1.7  million adults in Scotland will be hosting a garden party during the summer, according to a new YouGov poll and 7 per cent intend to hire a bouncy castle for their event – meaning as many as 120,000  inflatables will be in use in private gardens, yet new research has also revealed that one in three (32 per cent) of bouncy castle operators are not up-to-date with inflatable inspections after the lockdown.

The research, released by the Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII) – an international body for training inflatable inspectors and operators – and national inflatable inspection scheme PIPA – also reveals that 31 per cent of adults in Scotland don’t know what to ask regarding the safety of the bouncy castle at the point of booking one.

Yet despite this, almost one in 10 (9 per cent) of adults have witnessed an accident or injury on a bouncy castle, many of which could be prevented.

The RPII and PIPA have joined forces to launch a new campaign called #BounceSafe, supported by singer and mum-of-two Suzanne Shaw, which aims to get parents and those booking inflatables to take the appropriate safety steps to help ensure safe usage during this summer surge, and reduce the number of accidents and injuries.

Suzanne Shaw, singer and mum said: “After the year we have all had, it’s not a surprise to see millions of people will be hosting garden parties and what better way to entertain the kids than with a bouncy castle.

“I’m supporting the #BounceSafe campaign to send an important message to parents and those hiring the inflatables at-home to please make sure they ask the right questions when they hire and follow the safety advice on the day to help reduce the number of accidents. We all have a role to play in keeping the kids bouncing safe and it’s so important to supervise the inflatable at all times.”

The campaign is calling for people who hire bouncy castles for at-home use to do three things:

  • Ask the 3 key questions of the operator at the point when they hire – Do you have a PIPA tag and number, are you insured and have you done the RPII operator training during the last 3 years?
  • Supervise the bouncy castle at all times once the operator leaves a private at-home event.
  • Follow simple safety advice during the event and brief users about the rules before they go on.

When it comes to supervision, 82 per cent of all adults in Scotland do not know that if they have hired the bouncy castle, they are fully and legally responsible for the safety of the children on it when the operator leaves the event whilst one in five (20 per cent) have witnessed bouncy castles being completely unsupervised while children are on it.

The inflatables industry has been hit hard during the COVID pandemic. The RPII’s research reveals that 56 per cent of operators have suffered financially with 70 per cent having to temporarily close the business, 24 per cent furlough staff and 50 per cent adapt their business model over the last 12 months.  The research also reveals the support from the public for the industry as one in seven (15 per cent) want to support their local inflatables business after the lockdown.

Matthew Sweed, Technical Director of Inflatables at the RPII, said: “We are launching our #BounceSafe campaign today to help keep children all over the UK bouncing safely this summer and reduce the number of accidents and injuries.

“By following some simple safety advice, everyone can play an important part in the safe hiring and safe usage of inflatables. As part of the campaign we are also urging all inflatable operators to ensure their castles are up to date with their annual inspection and that operators have also participated in our operator training programme during the last 3 years.”

And when attending a garden party with a bouncy castle, 25 per cent said there were too many children on the bouncy castle at any one time and a quarter (24 per cent) said they saw children climbing on the bouncy castle walls which is the most common cause of accidents.

Sweed continued: “It’s really important that those hiring the inflatable supervise the users at all times after the operator leaves. We know it’s something not all parents are aware of, but it has a huge impact on accident rates.“

As part of the #BounceSafe campaign, the RPII is launching a new digital training programme for all bouncy castle operators which they can complete online and a new website for hirers to access simple safety information – www.bouncesafe.org.uk.