FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 18, 2007
For More Information Contact:
Ken Martin 804-342-1808
http://www.krmgroup.com
INFLATABLE AMUSEMENT RIDE SAFETY
With the recent death of a three year old in Washington State on an Inflatable Amusement Ride, it brings to light just how dangerous a fun time can be. We call them moonwalks; bounce house, bounce house, jumpy bounce or any name with a bounce them. They started out years ago as a square pillow with open sides. Now they have walls, stairs, platforms, slides and even some with water and pools. Primarily they were at county fairs and festivals. Now they are springing up where every children and teenagers are found.
Government oversight is spotty and patchwork in most localities. There is no centralized record system of these devices. Some are imported from overseas where no standards apply. Consensus Standards from within the amusement ride industry do exist and are being adopted into law by many States. In Virginia these Standards are promulgated into law at the state level by the Department of Housing and Community Development. The enforcement is left up to the local Building Official.
Here are some tips and guidelines for these Inflatable Amusement Rides. The unit must
be properly secured. An Attendant must be present at all times, two Attendants if it a Slide over 15 feet in height. For the most part children under 3 years of age are prohibited. Never mix
people of unequal size. Rules are properly displayed and explained. Each Inflatable is properly
permitted and inspected by the authority having jurisdiction (in Virginia that is the local Building Official).
Additional items to look or ask for are a Business License, proper Fire Occupancy or
Building Load information, membership in professional associations and most important proof of
insurance. Avoid places that require a waiver of liability, in fact you can not sign your child’s or
someone else’s rights away.
In all cases remember that these Inflatable devices are nothing more than colorful fun
looking pieces of machinery. In the proper circumstance and supervision Inflatable Amusement Rides can provide many hours of fun.
***NOTE***
Ken Martin of KRM Consulting is a Richmond, VA based Safety Consultant who specializes in Amusement Rides and Devices. He is also trained and certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Third Party Inspector of Amusement Rides and Devices. He serves on the Task Group that develops consensus standards for Inflatable Amusement Rides and Devices worldwide.
