Following an investigation by local health chiefs, two company directors have been found guilty of health & safety breaches at their trampoline park “Flip Out” located in Chester. Many people were injured including eleven fractured spines – including three broken backs in one day alone. The spike in incident numbers was so severe that bosses at the local hospital sought a meeting with the venue to try to understand and reduce the risk.
Chester Councillor Christine Warner, said last week: “Our Public Protection team always deal strongly with businesses who put residents or visitors to the borough at risk. This business had a total disregard for safety regulations. So, what went wrong? Obviously we can only guess as to the issues at this specific location but as a franchise model the question has to be asked – was there enough support from the master franchise holder and what training was undertaken by the management team in relation to the obstacles and attractions which had been installed.
Another question would relate to the Design Risk Assessment which should have been undertaken for each of the attractions – not only in isolation but also with regard to the specific installation in situ. This would then ensure that all aspects of the park were considered – those that were specific to the activity but also how each of the activities interacts with each other, the building they are installed in and what the implications might be. When considering the design of a public attraction such as a trampoline park or other venue, consideration must be given to compliance with a number of pieces of legislation, guidance and law. From fire safety and fire risk assessment to the risks associated with individual activities – how is equipment installed, how is it monitored and how often are checks and reviews carried out. Are there sufficient guidelines in place to monitor and manage the design and use of equipment or is specialist advice required from the manufacturer and other industry professionals.
A lot of questions will also start to be asked around the safety of audience members, visitors and members of the public as we get closer to Protect Duty becoming law.
Our ongoing work with activity centres up and down the country means that we’re ideally placed to consider all elements of health and safety requirements – from design, through construction and onto operational safety and management – including ongoing support from site inspections through to training for venue managers.