Bouncy House Safety 5

[TigerGuy]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/children-killed-bouncy-castle-accident-australia/

Prayers for the victims and their families, but also for the rest of the school staff, faculty and students.

How do we keep these tragedies from happening? Proper training on the set up and operation of these things would definitely help. One of the news stories discussed the wind speeds above which these should not be used. Does the average person know how to determine wind speed?

 

[thebard3]

I think average folks have little idea how forceful wind is. Flagpoles come with wind speed restrictions. The average consumer probably pays very little attention to the warning section of an instruction manual. I would think that most bouncy houses are only available through entertainment equipment rental agencies. If so then it should be their responsibility to know whether the thing is going to be safe for a particular period when they set it up. If you buy your own then I guess it's on you.

Brad Waybright

The more you know, the more you know you don't know.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I could see a fairly inexpensive "helper" gadget... place an anemometer at the top of every bouncy castle. When wind speeds start to approach unsafe limits, it sets off an alarm. It won't solve the problem of sudden wind bursts that come out of nowhere, but it would likely give fair warning in a larger range of cases. And the cost would be minimal... and extra $20-30 per house?

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[TugboatEng]

If we're proposing ridiculous ideas, how about securing the anchoring cables by calibrated Velcro. Under the Velcro would be vent holes. If the wind is strong it will pull the restraint off and dump the air from the bounce house, rapidly deflating it. Much simpler than anemometers or other safety devices that are easily bypassed.

Oldfieldguy, such legislation is not as bad you poke fun at it for. It's the riders they attach to such heartstring tuggers that are so dangerous. We need to save one kid but we'll also ban gas stoves in your house.

 

[zeusfaber]

I was once told that Organised Crime had cornered the Bouncy Castle market in the area I was living in at the time (I won't say who told me, but she was well-placed to know from the inside).

I have no idea if that was a local anomaly or if Bouncy Castle hire is a money-laundering vehicle everywhere. If the latter, then I'd expect the industry to regulate itself quite effectively (similarly, the cleanest takeaway food kitchens around are generally in the outlets owned by the drug gangs - a small price to pay for giving officials no excuse to keep coming back).

A.