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Who inspects the playground safety inspector? |
Fixed Playground Equipment in Schools
l Indoor Soft Play Areas
Safety Surfacing l Ball Courts l Wheeled sports &
BMX Tracks
Multigenerational play areas in public parks l Pub
Gardens
They may all seem very different. They all have one thing in common; Responsible schools and play providers want them built and maintained to a safe standard. That means meeting current and European and British safety standards and guidelines. When an indoor or outdoor play area passes an annual safety inspection or a post installation inspection on new play areas it is confirmed as compliant, safe and DDA accessible. But who inspects the inspectors? Who examines their competence? Who can train staff in special needs schools?
In 1999 the API, ILAM, NPFA and RoSPA set up the Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII) to certificate competence in play safety inspection and eligibility for inclusion in its register. The RPII provides a syllabus and methodology as a framework for assessment and runs examinations to certificate competence. It has the support of the British Standards Institute and Health and Safety Executive. Although the RPII is not a training organisation it lists contact details of companies that offer training for Annual Inspectors and for the school staff who maintain play areas to do the necessary daily safety inspections.
Annual play area safety inspectors, who are members of the RPII have their competence examined and certificated on joining and are reassessed every three to five years. The RPII lists certificated members on its website at www.playinspectors.com so SEN readers can easily find a specialist independent Annual inspector. The RPII site also lists those who it has examined and certificated at Routine and Operational levels involved in daily or monthly inspections and maintenance. They may be, for example, special needs school caretakers or site managers.
At the start of 2007 the RPII launched its syllabus and ran the first certifications for Annual Inspectors of Fully Enclosed Play Equipment (FEPE). The syllabus and exams are based on the currently guideline ‘Soft Indoor Play Areas – A Code of Practice’ (BS 8409:2002). It will be replaced by a new Part 10, to the European Standard, EN 1176 being drawn up now and expected for early 2008. Like API member outdoor play inspectors, indoor play inspectors are also listed at: www.playinspectors.com
Inspection is a choice. Best practice is a choice. Play providers have a choice. Safety inspections are not a legal requirement. That is where choices stop. Just ask one question, ‘Is it safe?’ For an answer, we all need a consistent method to measure and assess what we check for safety. That method needs to be to an agreed standards or it would be meaningless. The Standards exist. The one for fixed indoor play equipment is listed above. The European and British standard for outdoor play areas and equipment is BS EN 1176 while BS EN 1177 is for safer surfacing. These Standards are recommendations, not legal requirements.
Play providers in schools want successful safety inspections because everyone wants children to be safe – including insurers. Post-installation and annual safety inspection is strongly recommended and is seen as Best Practice by the Health and Safety Executive. Annual inspections form part of mandatory risk assessment which should be carried out by all play providers. Unlike annual safety inspections, risk assessment is a legal requirement as specified in the Management of the Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1994. Risk assessment would be incomplete without a safety inspection.
The inspectors who are certificated competent to do annual play safety inspections are also qualified to inspect and report on newly installed play areas. As a play provider, a school’s decision to open a new play area to children may depend on these reports. All play providers want to know from a competent inspector that a new play area has been assessed as suitably safe, is installed correctly and complies with the safety standards.
While having a safety inspection report is not compulsory, unlike risk assessment, schools have many reasons to ensure they comply with and beyond the Standards and guidelines. These include ensuring children’s play areas are safe and minimising the risk of serious injury. They help in maintaining play equipment for its serviceable life to get Best Value from costly investments. Play providers also want to avoid litigation and claims fuelled by no-win-no-fee lawyers. One of the best ways to avoid problems is to insist on using similarly competent playground manufacturers. For that the RPII suggest visiting the website of the Association of Play Industries’ at: www.api-play.org
With safety standards in use, safety inspectors and manufactures wish to see as much challenge and excitement as possible, This includes opportunities for children to assess risk and learn what they are able to do as they grow. Play has many roles including being vitally important in child development. More broadly, like schools, play areas everywhere also provide meeting areas for children and the adults they bring with them. This contributes an important social and community role for play areas within or outside of schools.