New RPII Director
the Play Inspection Company are delighted to announce that we have recently gained further representation on the RPII (Register of Play Inspectors International) Board.
Jon Dalton has recently been elected as the Members Representative Director for the RPII. Any existing inspectors that would like to speak to Jon are welcome to contact him through the Enquiry Page on this website.
Jon joins his father Keith on the RPII Board; who is the existing Outdoor Technical Director and also John Simmons, who is the current Chairman.
*Playbuilder Deadline*
This is a quick note to all our existing and potential clients to let you know that we are geared up and available to carry out Post Installation Inspections for all sites that are required to be completed by the 31st March 2010!
In preparation for an extremely busy month, Jon Dalton has recently successfully qualified as an Annual Outdoor Inspector, giving us some additional cover in the Northern Regions.
Please place your orders early to ensure that your inspections are scheduled as soon as possible.
*New RPII Annual Inspectors*
the Play Inspection Company are delighted to announce that due to our continuous growth and expansion, we now have a number of additional inspectors qualified to both Indoor and Outdoor RPII Annual Level.
Keith Dalton, Jon Dalton and Alan Lingley have all recently passed examinations and are available to carry out inspections all over the country.
Keith, Jon and Alan are all now qualified as both an RPII Annual Indoor and Outdoor Inspector, which means that we can provide extremely competitive quotations for those organisations that contain both types of facility, with these inspectors able to carry out both inspections simultaneously.
If you have any playground inspection requirements please get in touch via our Contact Page, or telephone Head Office direct on 01202 590675.
Playbuilder Sites - Post Installation Inspections
The Play Inspection Company are currently offering bulk discounts on Post Installation Inspections and Design Assessments of new build play areas, in line with the Playbuilder Initiative.
Numerous clients have already signed up for this service, mainly because of the nature and complexity of the designs as well as the cost savings that are available.
The design assessments will help to eradicate any problems that can be foreseen on plans, before the installations on site commence.
For a fixed fee quotation please e-mail us your requirements via the Contact Page of this website, or alternatively give us a call on 01202 590675.
Inspection & Maintenance of Natural Play Spaces
The API and the RPII have recently approached the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) on behalf of its members with regard to the HSE's position on health and safety law as it relates to children's play and the creation of natural play spaces; they have responded as follows;
"The law is clear. Those involved in the creation of natural play spaces will have duties under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that those affected by their undertaking are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. This clearly includes children at play in these areas.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to carry our a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks ,to their employees and others, arising from their work activities.
The operator/creator of the play space has a duty to assess the risks to children and implement appropriate risk control measures. This risk assessment should identify the hazard ie; the potential to cause harm, assess the likelihood of that harm occurring , the potential severity and numbers affected. HSE recognises that benefits of play should inform the risk assessment process however children should be able to experience challenging play without an unacceptable risk of serious injury or death. This can be achieved by implementing sensible risk control measures including proper design, installation and maintenance. Where recognised standards exist these should be used although in some circumstances, where the standards do not strictly apply, the general principles enshrined within them may be relevant to the risk assessment and may assist in identifying appropriate risk control measures. If this is not the case and there are no applicable recognised standards then a risk assessment should be approached from first principles. The fact that there are no recognised standards for a particular configuration of play space or equipment does not mean that risk associated with its use should be ignored. Indeed where there are no recognised standards the risk assessment should be carried out even more vigorously to ensure effective risk control measures are implemented.
The principles of risk control apply to natural play spaces and equipment in the same way that they do to conventional playgrounds. Consequently these spaces will require to be inspected and maintained at appropriate intervals to ensure that they continue to be fit for purpose. This will require creators/operators of the space and the play equipment manufacturers to specify inspection and maintenance requirements. This information should be made available to inspectors to assist in their inspection of the space."
Statement received from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) on 29th July 2009
New RPII Annual Indoor Soft Play Inspectors
the Play Inspection Company are delighted to announce that due to our continuous growth and expansion, we now have an additional 3 inspectors qualified to an RPII Annual Level to carry out Indoor Soft Play Inspections.
Keith Dalton, Jon Dalton and Alan Lingley have all recently passed examinations and are available to carry out inspections all over the country.
Keith is now qualified as both an RPII Annual Indoor and Outdoor Inspector, which means that we can provide extremely competitive quotations for those organisations that contain both types of facility, with Keith able to carry out both inspections simultaneously.
If you have any playground inspection requirements, please get in touch via our Contact Page, or telephone Head Office direct on 01202 590675.
Site Plan Checking Service
Getting it wrong when constructing a play area can lead to some expensive remedial works being required. For this reason, more and more people are asking the Play Inspection Company to check their site plans before commencement on site.
By having your plans checked in advance, costly mistakes can be avoided. It is much easier, and cheaper, to amend site plans than it would be to amend problems picked up at the time of a Post Installation Inspection. Often, the check can also disclose cheaper or more effective ways of achieving the desired result.
At an extremely competitive cost of £75.00 Excl. VAT per site, our service is very cost effective, with some other organisations charging between £250 - £350.00 for the same service.
The Play Inspection Company will also offer reduced rate Post Installation Inspections to any client who utilises our site plan service in the first instance.
For further information please contact Head Office on 01202 590675 or e-mail us at info@playinspections.co.uk. Alternatively, just post your enquiry through the Contact Page on this website.
Comprehensive UK Coverage
This is just a quick note to let all prospective customers know that we offer a Comprehensive UK Service, so don't be put off by our office post code! We have inspectors based all around the UK and offer a high quality, fast and efficient service to all of our customers.
We regularly complete inspections in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and have also been known to travel a little further afield! One recent enquiry resulted in our Indoor Inspector, Nick Balmforth, travelling to Bangkok and conducting a Post Installation Inspection on a brand new play centre called Funland. This new play centre has been billed as the largest of it's kind in Thailand.
Please post enquiries through the Contact Page of our website, or give us a call for a free consultation on 01202 590675.
BS EN 1176: 2008 Revisions - Update
We will soon be officially inspecting new build playgrounds to a new standard. The new British standards will be coming into force in June 2009. The standard was actually published in June 2008, but suppliers and maunfacturers were given a period of 12 months from publication to make the necessary amendments to their ranges of playground equipment.
One key element that was added to the revised standard, is that all new build playgrounds should be subjected to a Post Installation Inspection by an RPII Accredited Annual Inspector. This inspection will assess the play area against the current standards, and ensure that the playground has been installed correctly. This inspection will also form a major part of your compulsory site Risk Assessment that all new build play area's should have.
The Play Inspection Company offer this service with comprehensive UK Coverage. Please contact us for further information.
New Guide Booklets Available
We are now offering for sale 2 booklets that have recently been published by the Play Inspection Company.
The first booklet is 'An Essential Guide to BS EN 1176, Including 2008 Revisions'. This booklet gives an overview of the recently amended standards for playground equipment and surfacing in the UK. The standards were officially amended in June 2008, but manufatcurers and suppliers were given 12 months to amend their product ranges to comply with the new standards. As of June 2009, all products will need to be supplied and installed in line with the amended version.
The second booklet is 'Inspecting the Children's Playground - A Guide for Small Operators'. This booklet gives guidance to the legal aspects of carrying out playground inspections, and also provides a series of useful checklists that can be adapted and used on your own play area's.
Further information on both booklets is available on the Outdoo section of our website, under the heading titled 'Product'.
Natural Play - NEW!
With a heavy push toward the more natural type of play area and government funding available, natural play has become a big topic in our industry. We have just added a new page to this website about natural play and the services we can offer. Please visit the Natural Play Area section on this website to find out more.
NPFA Playground Inspections 2010
The Play Inspection Company are delighted to have been awarded the contract to carry out Annual Inspections on all NPFA owned play areas in the UK for the fourth year running. The NPFA, now known as Fields in Trust, have an 80-year history of protecting local fields and facilities, and help to ensure more fields with better facilities will always be there for future generations to enjoy.
If you operate an NPFA play area, and have other playgrounds that you wish to be inspected at the same time, please get in touch via our contact page.
A helping hand from The Play Inspection Company
At The Play Inspection Company we are committed to delivering excellent service as well as competitive rates to all of our clients.
As part of our ongoing development, we now have representatives available to meet with clients and discuss ways that we may be able to assist you to ensure that all legalities are met and adhered to, and to help you and your organisation to remain as safe as possible from litigation.
Please call a member of our team at the Head Office telephone number shown on our Contacts Page, to arrange a free consultation with one of our representatives.
Safety Standard Seminars Popular with Delegates
Our BS EN 1176 2008 Revisions Seminars are proving to be an extremely popular event, with nearly 300 confirmed delegates already. Many of the venue's are now nearing their capacity - so if you haven't booked into one of these seminars yet, do it now before it's too late!
The first four events, held in Manchester, Crawley, Birmingham & Exeter, have played host to a total of 125 delegates, from Local Authorities, Playground Manufacturers, Grounds Maintenance Contractors & Housing Developers.
Some of the feedback received from recent delegates is shown below:
10/10 - One of the best seminars I have attended. Very useful information to keep both inspection staff & staff who install & repair up-to-date with the changes - James E Ferguson, Kent County Council.
8/10 - I feel this seminar is at least a basic requirement for all operatives within the play industry - Darren Ellis, Fareham Borough Council.
10/10 - Very enlightening information. I like the interaction between each speaker & discussion on interpretation of standards - Mike Cottrell, Iredell Services Ltd.
9/10 - Good presentations explaining the new standards in a clear & precise manner. Allowed someone with very little knowledge to gain a large amount of insight into the standards relating to play area's - Caroline Harding, Dartford Borough Council.
10/10 - Very good, explained in plain English, an excellent event - Norman Irvine, Sefton Council.
Please click on the grey flashing box at the top of the screen for further information and our booking form.
Keith Dalton is New Technical Director of RPII
Keith Dalton, the Managing Director of The Play Inspection Company, has recently been announced as the new Technical Director for the RPII (Register of Playground Inspectors).
The Play Inspection Company are delighted that Keith has been voted into this position by fellow Annual Inspectors registered by the RPII.
Keith can be contacted through the Contact Page on this website for any Technical Queries you may have.
New Area Manager
The Play Inspection Company are delighted to announce that Peter Bullock has recently joined our team as an Area Manager for the South East of England.
Peter has been working in the Playground Industry for over 13 years and has a vast array of industry knowledge and experience.
For further information, please see Peter's entry on our 'About Us' page.
