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(Transportation-News.com, April 22, 2013 ) Bretford, UK -- Parents often neglect the potential dangers that can be found in unsafe use of bouncy castles (sometimes known as bounce houses / moon bounce). To help keep children playing safe and having fun the information bellow is a fantastic guide for any concerned parent
When hiring a bouncy castle:
Before committing to hire a bouncy castle it is best to check with the hire company that they adhere fully to health and safety regulations. Bouncy Castles have been regulated since 2006 across Europe to ensure that they are as safe as possible, but some older units do not meet this standard and can pose some serious safety concerns.
Some of the common issues include:
• Height of walls – The bouncy castle should have walls that are at least as high as the users to ensure no one bounces out. Walls of 1.8 metres in height are sufficient for all users.
• Fall off height – Bouncy castles must not have a fall of height of greater than 60cm from the height of bed onto the ground.
• Air pressure – As bouncy castles age the small holes around the stitching get larger, this in turn allows more air to escape and reduces the pressure inside the bouncy castle. When the pressure is lowered bouncy castles will no longer retain their firm bouncy feel and in some cases jumping on the castle will cause it to ‘ground’ where there is no longer a cushioning air layer to protect users from injury from the hard ground beneath
When bouncy castles are in use there are other factors that affect the safety of the users.
Wind is a big issue here as on a windy day the wind can apply a huge amount of force on the bouncy castle. This is when the unexpected can happen and the bouncy castle can take off. This has been the cause of serious injury in the past and has in rare cases resulted in the death of a user. To avoid the wind been a problem you should check that the bouncy castle has been properly staked down with 38cm long stakes on all of the anchor points. Even with the bouncy castle secured with stakes it should still only be used in wind speeds of 38kmph or less.
Several articles have been in the news about children who have chocked on a bouncy castle. Anything that a child could fit inside their mouth could present a hazard here. Some previous incidents have occurred for instance when a child was attempting to inflate a balloon on a bouncy castle or sucking on a boiled sweet.
Food isn’t the only potential hazard that children could take on the bouncy castle with them. It is also important to check that any eye-wear such as glasses has been removed along with jewellery and any sharp objects.
Many children like to play rough or fool around when using a bouncing castle. Rough play, climbing walls, and performing acrobatics such as somersaults can all result in injuries. Any bouncy castle should be supervised by a responsible adult who is happy to intervene to keep all the children safe.
About Warwick Castles:
Warwick Castles is a bouncy castle hire company operating from Warwickshire in the UK. They strive to provide a reliable, and highly safety concious service.
For more information, please visit http://www.warwickcastles.co.uk
Warwick Castles
Simon Grogan
2476545814
simon@warwickcastles.co.uk
Source: EmailWire.Com 
Source: EmailWire.com
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