After over a year of preparation, the Health and Safety Executive and the Event Industry Forum have produced a draft revised version of the Event Safety Guide (also known as the Purple Guide).  MUTA has been involved in the drafting of the guidance and we are pleased to see that our Code of Practice for Temporary Demountable Fabric Structures and the PIPA scheme are highlighted as examples of best practice in the chapters on Structures and Amusements respectively.  The draft guidance has been made available for consultation until 11th November at http://www.eventsindustryforum.co.uk/event_safety_guide/.

Following reports that bouncy castle inspector Peter Coltilda has fled the country before he was due to appear in court on health and safety charges, Mark John, chairman of the PIPA scheme, said:   “Mr Coltilda is not and never has been a registered member of PIPA, the national safety scheme for inflatable play.   “Children’s safety is of the utmost importance, and badly designed or poorly maintained inflatable play equipment can be incredibly dangerous. Customers who want full assurance that the equipment they hire is safe should ensure it has been tested under the PIPA scheme and check its tag number on our website.” Further details can be found here: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2011/09/24/warrant-issued-as-banned-bouncy-castle-inspector-from-deganwy-goes-on-run-55578-29477755/

Temporary structurescontractors had mixed fortunes in 2010 but fared better than the wider eventsindustry, and the sector is gearing up for further growth over the next year,according to a recent survey of MUTA members. The survey indicates that the temporary structuresindustry bucked the trend in the wider events sector, which experienced anoverall contraction of 13% over 2010 according to the UK Events Market TrendsSurvey 2011. Fortunes across the temporarystructures industry varied; while two fifths of MUTA hirers (40%) saw littlechange in their turnover between 2009 and 2010, one in four (26%) were hit byfalling revenues in 2010. But only 13% of manufacturers experienced a fall insales in the same period, suggesting that companies opted to invest inupgrading their kit as a sluggish economy struggled out of recession. Encouragingly, more thanone third (36%) of the MUTA fabric structures hire sector saw significantgrowth in sales as the wider economy recovered during 2010, and more than twothirds (71%) of hirers and more than half (59%) of manufacturers intend tomaintain or increase their capital spend over 2011. The sustainability in events standard BS 8901 could bethe key to a hirer’s ongoing success and there is already a high take-up –among those who are aware of it. Over half of hirers expressed commitment tosustainability, with 13% already compliant and a further 40% planning onbecoming compliant this year. Only one in ten is not planning to pursuecompliance so far, though the message has not yet got through to many, with 37%not aware of the new standard. Tony Marsh, MUTA President,commented: “These figures show that MUTAmembers have generally fared better than the wider events sector, which in turnsuggests that the outdoor event industry had a better 2010 than the rest of thesector. Though our survey points to inspiring green shoots of recovery inplaces, conditions are still tough for fabric structure hire companies, due inlarge part to the continuing lack of credit available to small businesses. Itis great to see that despite this many MUTA members are investing in their kitand their workforce’s skills this year, in anticipation of what promises to bea bumper year for the events industry in 2012 as we support the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the London Olympics and thevast array of regional supporting events. “I am also happy to see so many fellow MUTA members takingsustainability in the event supply chain seriously. Compliance with BS8901 isthe natural next step for MUTA members who already meet best industry practicewith their MUTAmarq accreditation. Formalising good working practices anddeveloping a sustainability-conscious culture at work in order to supportclients’ overall event sustainability goals makes good business sense.” Simon Bell, Technical Directorof Custom Covers and a member of the MUTA Executive Committee, said: “2010 was a strong year for theUK’s manufacturing sector and it is excellent news to see that the textileproducts industry has shared in that success. We are not out of the woods yet,so it is essential that events organisers ensure that the temporary structures theyuse are designed to UK standards and are erected bycompetent MUTAmarq accredited contractors.”

The Health and Safety Executive recently published its top ten “bizarre health and safety bans” reported over the past year, which included the flying of kites on a beach, using monkey bars in a playground and dodgems bumping into each other at Butlins. These cases of apparent overzealousness are thankfully few and far between but when planning play activities, businesses and authorities must be careful to ensure that risks of harm are minimised –without impeding people’s enjoyment – by taking appropriate steps. Inflatable play is one type of activity whose safety demands particular attention, but in this case the industry has been proactive and stepped in with comprehensive guidelines to assist users. In spring this year several children were injured in a series of accidents involving bouncy castles or inflatable slides which were unable to cope with high winds. Although inflatable play has faced bans by local authorities over the years, we have not seen a knee-jerk reaction this year so it’s clear that councils broadly recognise that there is a system in place to enable children to have fun in a safe environment. Most local authorities will use bouncy castles or inflatable slides in at least some settings, whether in schools, at leisure centres or at community events. As the Dreamspace case several years ago demonstrated, local authorities share responsibility for the safety measures taken at events taking place on their land so officers should check that the right procedures are followed. Firstly, wear and tear can create hazards that could put children in harm’s way – similarly, poorly designed equipment can increase the chances of injury. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the 1998 Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, all inflatable play equipment which is bounced or slid upon – i.e. bouncy castles, inflatable slides, and inflatable obstacle courses – must be inspected by a competent person. The HSE recommends that this take place annually, through a recognised scheme such as PIPA. The PIPA scheme is a national network of qualified inflatable play inspectors who perform rigorous checks on items of equipment, ensuring that they conform to the British and European Standard BS EN 14960:2006 (currently undergoing revision). Units that pass are “tagged” with a unique number which stays with the inflatable throughout its life, and they are also given a PIPA test certificate. Customers should ask to see the PIPA certificate before entering a contract. Anyone can check the current test status of a bouncy castle at any time by entering its tag number on the PIPA website, www.pipa.org.uk. A valid PIPA certificate is normally sufficient to demonstrate compliance with the law. The PIPA scheme is a non-profit enterprise and was developed in 2004 by the various representative bodies of the industry. It now has the support of the Association of Inflatable Manufacturers, Operators, Designers and Suppliers (AIMODS), the Inflatable Play Manufacturers Association (IPMA), the Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII), the British Inflatable Hirers Alliance (BIHA), and The Inflatable Play Enterprise (TIPE). AIMODS’s umbrella body, MUTA, administers the scheme. Organisations hiring inflatable play equipment should be aware that bad practice can take place outside of the PIPA scheme. There have been cases of unqualified inspectors carrying out tests and one such individual was prosecuted by the HSE in 2009 for passing unsafe equipment. Anyone who has a recognised qualification, is suitably insured and has not otherwise been expelled from the PIPA scheme should be listed on the inspectors section of the PIPA website. Responsibility for safety does not end at the issuing of a PIPA certificate. The operator of the bouncy castle has a responsibility to check that the equipment is not damaged between inspections, and to set up the equipment correctly, ensuring, for example, that it is adequately anchored to the ground, has sufficient pressure, and that there are sufficient crash mats at the exits. Finally, the equipment must be supervised when in use. It is up to the supervisor to ensure that appropriate action is taken in cases of high wind, and that children play safely with no dangerous behaviour. So local authorities can keep their events and play facilities open while minimising the risks of accident by using only equipment tested under the PIPA scheme, and checking that it is maintained, set up and supervised correctly. Contact the PIPA scheme on info@muta.org.uk or 0207 618 9196.

At the Showman’s Show this year Custom Covers is launching its brand new 12m Cruciform structure. The Cruciform enables you to join two Custom Covers structures at 90 degrees to give full ground to ridge clearance and a great interior space. On their show stand this year the Southampton-based manufacturer is exhibiting the new 12m and existing 9m cruciform structures. In addition the company are launching three exciting Medal winning marquee linings colours for 2012: the all new satin effect colours are Gold, Silver and Bronze. “These are the first new colours in our Brand New CQ Satin colour range” enthused CEO Robert Sanders, “and just right for marquee hirers who want to inject that medal winning magic into marquee hires for 2012”. The Custom Covers 2011 Showman’s Show stand incorporates 900 square metres of interior space showcasing their full range of Coverspan frame marquees, PVC marquee covers and decorative marquee linings in three distinct themed areas. Highlights include the 3m Romsey pagoda and Curved roof structure.

Fourteen candidates successfully completed the Level 3 Diploma in Temporary Structures for Events (NVQ) (QCF) at the end of July, bringing the total number who have qualified this year to 47. MUTA congratulates the following for their achievement: Baillies Marquees Ltd: William Collins Christopher Greig Gordon Murray Burgoynes (Lyonshall) Ltd: Graham Williams Stephen Williams Cambridge Marquees & Events Ltd: Darren Chapman Peter Vincent First Choice Marquees Ltd: Jake Sutton The Highfield Event Group Ltd: Christopher Alleyne Chris Chapman Matthew Cornelius David Olen Mark Olen Specialist Structures Ltd: Gareth Sedgwick