By Samuetta Hill Drew
As we continue exploring the safety measures associated with the widely popular inflatable bouncers, it’s important that each article narrows its focus to help ensure that some of the most pertinent safety prevention information is shared. It is important adults are aware of the various safety risks so proper protection and prevention measures can be taken.
This week let’s begin by making adults aware that even though many children sustain injuries during summer months while using bounce houses, there are no national safety standards. So, if you hire a company to set up your bounce house and it is insured and uses trained staff to set up and supervise its usage, the liability still rests with you. So, make sure you supervise it being set up and help with supervision, also.
- Make sure the bouncer is set up in a safe place. It should not be set up by an open flame like a barbeque pit and away from heat. The material the bouncer is made from will melt when in contact with either. Also, make sure the bouncer is set up away from walls, concrete surfaces, sharp objects or in any other type of potentially dangerous area.
- Make sure the inflatable bounce houses/castles have enough space between each other especially if you’re using more than one type of inflatable bouncer or slide. Also be aware of the recommended weight capacity when supervising the children. You may need to set a time limit if you have a lot of children so they can rotate in and out. This will help make sure you adhere to the weight limits while promoting fair usage practices.
- Make sure the electrical outlet is safe before you use it. Keep children away from the inflatable blower. Make sure the children do not put their fingers or toes into the blower. Also make sure the children don’t place any type of object into the blower. If the blower begins to malfunction for any reason, stop using it immediately and make sure all the children have exited.
- Most of us saw the images on television of a bouncer being lifted in the air by strong winds. Therefore, make sure you are aware of the wind gusts the day you plan to use it. It must be anchored properly, but if it’s a really windy day it would be better to just not use it at all.
Although there are some safety risks associated with all bouncers, they still provide a great deal of fun and pleasure to children, so these articles are in no way meant to suggest you don’t use them. The articles are rather saying, Keep an Eye on Safety when using them!
