RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

31 July 1998
PLAY SAFE WITH NEW VIDEO

Safety implications of the increasing popularity of indoor play areas are dealt with in a new video pack available from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Play Your Part is a supervisors guide to the safe and efficient operation of an indoor play area - there are now more than 1,000 in the UK alone. It includes a training and safety handbook with checklists of written questions for staff.

RoSPA Playground Safety Adviser, Peter Heseltine, said: "There has been a rapid expansion of indoor play areas and today they can be found in pubs, clubs, stores and theme parks.

"These play areas pose many safety problems which operators may not have considered. They are entirely different to the traditional outdoor play areas and just because they are ‘soft’ does not mean they are automatically safe.

"Safety of many of these areas is dependent upon the quality and training of the staff and therefore this video is especially welcome."

The video from Sandsfield Associates in collaboration with RoSPA shows the balance between providing a safe, controlled environment and one which is fun and allows freedom of expression for the children.

It considers the role and responsibilities of supervisors and how they must interact with their managers, parents and children.

The video looks at the law, safety inspections, rules of play, emergency procedures and how to deal with illness and injuries. There is also a section on customer care and good administration so that people are encouraged to make return visits to a soft play area.

Priced £150 plus VAT, Play Your Part runs for 30 minutes. Its training and safety handbook reinforces and expands on many of the areas covered in the programme.