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Following the pre-Christmas tragedy that saw six children in Tasmania die following an incident involving an inflatable jumping castle, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has issued a reminder to operators on the implementation of key safety controls to ensure inflatable amusement devices do not become airborne.

It includes:

Anchorage
The anchorage system is only as good as its weakest component. Therefore, all anchorage components need to be in good condition and the ground needs to be suitable for the anchorage used. In addition, operators need to ensure that underground services are not located where anchor stakes are being used.

All anchor points must be secured in accordance with the manufacturer's or a competent person's (e.g. an engineer with knowledge of inflatable devices and anchorage systems) instructions. If ground anchor stakes cannot be used to secure the device (such as on hard surfaces, paved areas or asphalt), a competent person should be engaged to design an anchorage system that can withstand the same forces as if it was secured with ground anchor stakes.

Where a device is regularly erected on a hard surface such as outside hardware stores, consider having a competent person supervise the installation of permanent ground anchors. When erected indoors (no wind load) the device should be secured to maintain stability.

Wind speed
Landborne inflatable devices must not be operated in wind speeds above what they are rated for. There should be a means of monitoring the wind speed (e.g. use an anemometer) to ensure the device's maximum rated wind speed is not exceeded. Relying on regional weather updates may not be sufficient as the wind speed on-site could differ to the regional weather update. In addition, the weather update may not provide sufficient detection and warning of the wind speed or weather conditions.

Emergency procedures
Emergency procedures need to be documented in the operation manual and periodically tested to ensure that those supervising the device know how:

• To respond to unexpected wind events and when to remove riders from the device
• To remove any riders trapped in the device
• To deflate and secure the device.

Instruction, training and supervision
People supervising the device must be competent to perform the tasks described above. Periodic refresher instruction and training should be performed to maintain operator competence.

For further information, please call Workplace Health and Safety Queensland on 1300 362 128.

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