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?

 

[phamENG]

The hardest part about knowing how to determine wind speed is probably defining "wind speed." I find a lot of practicing structural engineers don't actually understand the difference between the wind speeds we use in design, the wind speeds used in design 20 years ago, the weather reported on the news tonight, and the weather reported on the news for a hurricane (guess what - they're all different!).

So when the spec/users guide is written, who is writing it and how do they define it? Hopefully they use a 2-minute average wind speed, so it's compatible with the more common reporting. But unless they specify, it's hard to say. Then of course if they specify, it'll probably confuse half the people reading it.

 

[Spartan5]

The hardest part about knowing how to determine wind speed is probably defining "wind speed."

http://www.infohow.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Beaufort-Scale.jpg

 

[AusG]

more reporting:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-17/community-mourns-jumping-castle-tragedy-victims/100706838

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12...ent-at-tas-school-hillcrest-primary/100706108

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12...llcrest-primary-school-children-die/100704754

https://www.news.com.au/national/se...l/news-story/72cce7190128925e8b2425b726165b4b

Big questions around how much wind there was. Nearest Met office recorded nothing out of the ordinary but obviously a local swirl or gust can occur. All the numbers I've seen reported are no more than 15 knots, and that was after the event, despite the excited reportage:
"

https://www.news.com.au/national/serious-injuries-reported-in-jumping-castle-chaos-at-tasmanian-primary-school/news-story/72cce7190128925e8b2425b726165b4b[/URL]]What started as a calm day changed dramatically and quickly with wind speeds going from about 7km/h to as high as 17km/h when the tragedy unfolded at Hillcrest Primary School.

Those winds continued to pick up speed during the afternoon, peaking with gusts of more than 30km/h.

At roughly 10am yesterday when the incident occurred, the wind in Devonport swung from south to northwest, bringing with it far gustier conditions and wind speeds – more than double that of before.

Some weird local gust, and a big question mark on the tie downs

 

[phamENG]

Spartan - yeah...that's another way to do it. And probably the best way to do it for quick local judgements.

 

[1503-44]

Some kids were killed in Spain a couple of years ago and in Russia this year when castles just exploded.

https://news.sky.com/story/bouncy-c...rl-6-and-injuring-six-other-children-10868848

https://www.thewashingtontime.com/b...nding-young-children-flying-onto-tram-tracks/

 

[Trippelsewe]

I live in Tasmania, very sad day for a small island state. Sounds like an unfortunate combination of no tie-downs (tbc) + a freak gust. Advice to dismantle the jumping castle if winds exceed x km/h would not have helped here. Some children in Zorb Balls were also lifted up but it is not confirmed if to the same height.

 

[thebard3]

We've finally found a kid's toy that's more dangerous than lawn darts.

Brad Waybright

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

 

[CWB1]

I’d be curious to know if it was tied down properly, but honestly not curiois enough to wade through non-US media.

Personally I’ve been to many events with rented professional bouncy houses and the rental folks seem about 50/50 good, responsible folks mixed with crazy carnies. I’ve never seen one airborne but have seen several blow across the ground bc they weren’t staked down.

 

[Denial]

Yeah.[ ] Non-US media is pretty terrible, and you'll never learn anything from it.[ ] A bit like US-media in that regard.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Once saw a collosal fat arse jump on one.

3 kids cleared the walls of it and ended up on the grass.

The inflation motor wasn't very happy either.

Nobody hurt though apart from the fatty's feelings after getting told they were too fat to go on any of the kids stuff. Will admit it wasn't a tactful suggestion by the Scottish Policeman that told them.

 

[AusG]

And there was another incident the same in Spain.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01...t-in-spanish-bouncy-castle-accident/100740868

 

[1503-44]

On Spain's "Christmas eve" as well.
Spain requires a minimum of 6 x 133kg tie-downs, the status of which are being investigated.

"In November, a Spanish court sentenced the owners of the restaurant to a year in prison in relation to the (2017) incident. At least some justice was served.

 

[Artisi]

Staked down and weight loaded irrespective of wind speeds at all times, not some arbitrary lick the finger and hold it up to guess what the wind speed might be. Trained and licenced operaters using approved designed equipment as it is blatantly obvious by now that what is currently being used and operated is dangerous.
Accidents do and always will be with us, but all too often some operations or equipment are accidents waiting to happen.

It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)

 

[oldfieldguy]

Per Artisi:

"Trained and licenced operaters using approved designed equipment as it is blatantly obvious by now that what is currently being used and operated is dangerous."

Just exactly what we need. I can see the legislature in its "If it saves ONE child" and "We must do SOMETHING" modes, passing legislation to protect us from bouncy houses. We'd have a state-level Commissioner of Bouncy Houses overlooking a staff of several inspectors (each with an official state vehicle) and a bevy of administrators.

Of course, then we have multiple contractors bidding on the contract to provide the necessary training to make one a "trained and licensed" bouncy house operator. Naturally there'd be a certain fee collected for testing and licensure, and there'd be a requisite state inspection requirement, a small fee to make sure that every bouncy house was up to state code.

Oh, and an enforcement branch to go out an audit bouncy house installations and businesses.

old field guy

 

[Artisi]

per Old field guy

sounds like a plan, possibly use you and your family in all test procedure's, need to wait for the appropriate windy day and run the tests, you could volunteer your grand kids onboard without the castle being staked down, if insufficient wind a number of large wind generating devices could be run to measure the effect or alternately the local airfield could be used to utilise the jet engine blast just prior to starting ing the take-off run (the plane - not the castle). You never know, something good might come out of it.

It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)

 

[thebard3]

As with many things, bouncy houses require a modicum of knowledge and care to set up and use safely. Most people who have one set up on their property have no idea of the potential dangers they pose. It's amazing to me that anybody is able to own a trampoline. Even swimming pools are extremely dangerous for people who can't swim, drink too much, or simply do idiotic things when jumping in. That doesn't keep people from jumping in anyway. When your kids bring their friends over to play on the swingset, you're accepting a lot of liability.

Brad Waybright

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

 

[LionelHutz]

My thought is that temporary anchors capable of keeping one on the ground in any reasonable wind condition don't exist.

But then, 800kg of weight just might work. manually positioning 800kg would require it to be broken into smaller weights, and then there would need to be a specification on how those weights are joined so it doesn't start to shed the smaller weights until it gets away.

 

[CWB1]

At least stateside, everything comes with instructions and a plethora of safety warnings. If you choose to ignore them and injure someone with any product then YOU are liable. Following the instructions and warnings generally absolves the user. Conversely (here), oral/physical training doesnt really qualify nor absolve you of anything, the written standard behind the training does.

 

[LionelHutz]

It's the same here. Having some training and test to license won't mean much unless it's backed with requiring permits and inspections, which can still fail when the inspector does a poor job and then you still get the blame.

More common sense needs to be applied to things that can maim and kill you, not more rules and regulations.