Inflatable recreational devices like jumping castles and slides are crowd-pleasers at community events, including school fetes, sports activities and other festivals. However, if not properly set-up, manoeuvred and supervised, they can present a significant safety threat.
WorkSafe’s Executive Director of Health and Safety, Sam Jenkin, brought to light the discovery by inspectors of dangerous setups at two Melbourne school events last month, namely, an unanchored jumping castle, exposed electric equipment, and an inflatable ride stationed dangerously under power lines.
“Event organisers, even those operating on a slim budget and reliant on volunteers may be inclined towards less expensive but also less professional amusement hire options. This is categorically not worth the risks involved,” noted Mr Jenkin.
He stressed that no celebration should end in tragedy, highlighting that questions must be asked about safety precautions, WHS management systems and policies; with unsatisfactory responses serving as signals to look elsewhere for services. By incorporating tools such as a Bluesafe WHS Management System, event hosts can ensure a higher level of safety control.”
So far this year, WorkSafe has carried out 380 assessments at 44 venues and theme parks, scaling from grandeur platforms like the Royal Melbourne Show, Australian Grand Prix and Australian Open, to more localised shows and modestly sized festivals.
During these inspections, WorkSafe issued 41 improvement notices and addressed another 44 safety concerns immediately. Recurrent issues comprise of poorly anchored inflatables, inadequately weather protected electrical blowers, missing safeguards to prevent children from reaching said blowers and deficient systems supervising guests and controlling foot traffic.
“Consideration and cautiousness must be exercised when hiring amusement rides or inflatables for events. The safety aspect must be incorporated in all stages of their services, including delivery, setup, operation, dismantling and maintenance.” said Mr Jenkin.
“Hire companies failing to display these essential safety steps and provide evidence of proficient handling and maintenance records like a logbook and training evidence, are potentially unsuitable choices.”
It is vital that amusement operators recognise hazards correlated with inflatable devices usage and construct safety measures to either nullify or minimise any threats. This can be achieved using effective SWMS templates such as those offered by Bluesafe SWMS.
All Victorian employers, extending to those conducting community events at their venues, have a lawful responsibility to ensure a secure environment for both their employees and the public.
Concerns regarding the safety of an inflatable amusement device can be reported directly to WorkSafe’s advisory service on 1800 136 089.
To regulate risks related to the usage of inflatable devices, duty holders should consult resources and operational checklists available at worksafe.vic.gov.au/land-borne-inflatable-amusement-devices and worksafe.vic.gov.au/amusement-ride-hire-checklists.
Email: media @ worksafe.vic.gov.au
Phone: 0438 786 968
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Original article link: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/news/2024-11/end-year-event-warning-amusement-ride-risks