In the evolving world of the Nintendo generation, more and more children are losing fitness and outside activities are being replaced by High Definition graphics and online multi-playing. Of course the risk of injury caused by playing computer games are a fraction of the risks associated with outdoor activities such as bouncy castles and trampolines but a sedentary life also presents problems.
We have all run, jumped and bounced as children and taken risks and never thought twice about it. But we live in a different, more cautious time now. For this reason, Planet Bounce has invested in full public liability insurance up to the value of £5,000,000. This insurance covers any claims against injuries from our equipment or possible neglect on behalf of our fully trained staff.
We often receive questions regarding the responsibility of accidents that may be caused by children due to rough-play (somersaults or wrestling). Under law, it is the responsibility of the hirer of the inflatable to guard against accidents and to make sure the children play safely; if you require further precautionary measures you can arrange paid supervision by an NVQ Level 3 qualified child carer from Planet Bounce to ensure safety protocols are followed at all times.
If you are worried about your personal insurance cover, then we advise you to first check with your home insurance company to be sure they cover you for this kind of liability. In the case of Sam Harris that was broad casted 3 years, the hirer's home insurance covered the parents' liability so you may wish to consult your own home insurance documentation.
To put the Harris case into context, it is estimated that over a million castles are hired out every year and this case was the first incident to ever go to court. Taking the historical statistics into account, the odds of a similar accident happening to you in the next 20 years are approx 1 in 20 million, very good odds indeed – much lower, for example, than being involved in an airplane crash, being hit by lightning, or even drowning in your own bath click here for statistical source.
It is important to stress that the castle must be supervised at all times. Sensible safety guidelines should be followed: shoes are not allowed on the inflatable and it is advised that children of widely varying ages play on the castle at different times.
We do offer a supervision service but we understand this is not often practical for small parties due to additional costs. Our supervision service is charged per hour and per inflatable, this includes labour and insurance and covers you 100% against damages.
All of our units are annually PIPA tested and all units have sewn in and clearly visible PIPA tags. We are also members of the BIHA who have written an article related the recent case to the BBC. The article can be found by clicking here.
Further update on this case
The Sam Harris case was overturned on appeal.
The judge of the appeal Lord Phillips said "It is impossible to preclude all risk that, when playing together, children may injure themselves or each other, and minor injuries must be commonplace".
"It is quite impractical for parents to keep children under constant surveillance or even supervision and it would not be in the public interest for the law to impose a duty upon them to do so."
Lord Phillips said Sam's injury was of "horrifying severity" but could not reasonably have been foreseen.
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