An annual inspection isn't a rubber stamp. Here's exactly what gets checked, what you're handed at the end, and what happens if something doesn't pass.
What you get
After the inspection, you’ll receive a clear PDF inspection report identifying the inflatable by its make, serial number and size, with the relevant checks and findings recorded.
The report is written in plain English and ready to forward directly to a school, venue, council or insurer when proof of inspection is requested. Any issues found will be clearly explained, so you know exactly what needs attention.
Well over 140 individual check points on a standard castle, grouped into six areas. Bigger and more complex units carry more.
Number, position and strength of anchor points; straps, ropes and ground pegs; ballast where pegging isn't possible.
Stitching, seam integrity, abrasion, UV damage, repairs and patches, netting condition and mesh size.
Operating pressure under load, blower sizing and duty, air-loss points and how the unit behaves as it fills.
Wall heights against platform heights, fall heights, step and slide geometry, impact areas and clearances.
Head, neck, finger and limb entrapment probes across every gap, opening, arch and net junction.
Blower guard and condition, ducting, cable and plug inspection, and PAT testing of the blower and lead.
If something fails
Most failures are small: a worn anchor patch, a split seam, a missing blower guard, a net that's gone brittle. You'll be told what it is, why it matters and what will fix it, rather than just handed a red mark.
Where a repair is straightforward and can be done on the spot, we'll say so. Where it needs the manufacturer or a specialist repairer, we'll point you at one. Once the fix is done, the unit is re-checked and tagged, usually without a second full inspection fee.
Fix it, show us, Pass
Getting ready
None of this is difficult, but getting it wrong is the main reason a day runs short. Every unit has to be inflated and at operating pressure to be inspected, so the limiting factor is nearly always space rather than time.
A village hall, a barn or a decent-sized industrial unit all work fine. What does not work is a packed container with nowhere to lay anything out, or a barn with a low collar tie when your biggest unit is a 16ft slide.
Bought abroad
A lot of inflatables sold into the UK are built to the manufacturer's reading of EN 14960 rather than to the standard as written. The things that come up most often are wall heights against the platform, the strength and number of anchor points, and the gaps round netting, arches and step openings.
That does not make an imported unit a bad buy. It does mean the initial inspection is the one that matters, because it tells you what needs changing before the unit earns anything rather than after you have taken bookings on it.
Send us the make, the model and a couple of photographs and we will tell you honestly what we expect to find.
Before the first booking, not after
A brand-new unit needs an initial inspection before it earns anything. It's the baseline the annual checks are measured against. If you're buying new or importing, get it looked at before it goes out, not after a venue asks awkward questions.
Got more than a handful of units? A fleet day works out far cheaper per unit than booking them one at a time. We come to your storage for a full day and work through everything you've got, tagging as we go.
Midland Play Inspections
We test bouncy castles, slides, obstacle courses, disco domes, soft play and ball pools to BS EN 14960-1:2019, and we come to you anywhere across the Midlands. One unit or a full fleet, and we work all year round so your kit is tested when it isn't earning.
Tell us what you've got and roughly where it's stored, and you'll get a fixed price and the next free date.