As heralded in last week’s blog, the last 7 days have been extraordinary! They started in London with the latest scheduled Standardisation Review meeting and then on to Bangkok to inspect Thailand’s first indoor play and party centre for children and their families. I get something of a glimpse of what it must be like to be an international business tycoon and quite a contrast in temperature after this long cold winter in the UK.
Monday: British Rail to London and then the familiar tube journey to Gunnersbury, home of the British Standards Institution. The publication of the European Standard for indoor play last year gave rise to an assumption in the industry that our own BS8409:2002 Soft Indoor Play Areas – Code of Practice would be rendered obsolete. It is normal for a British Standard to be removed when superseded by a European Norm. I for one was not prepared to accept that. Yes any conflicting data with the European Standard would need to be surgically removed but there would remain much sound operational advice within the British Standard that I believed deserved to remain on the table. I therefore applied to BSI for a revision of BS8409 and my proposal was accepted last autumn. I selected a Committee to assist in that redrafting purpose and offered representation to: The Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII), the Play Providers Association (PPA), RoSPA, the Association of Play Industries Indoor Play Section (API) and The Play Inspection Company (TPIC). So far we have had three very hard-working and positive meetings and are well on schedule for completing the project this year. Watch this space!
Tuesday: Final preparations for Thailand then off to Manchester for the long-haul flight broken only by a change of plane in Abu Dhabi. I know a good supplier of sand!
Wednesday: The longest immigration procedure I have ever endured at Bangkok airport. The queuing seemed to last for hours - everyone on the plane had to be photographed. Finally made it to my hotel and established client contact. There was he said “good news and bad news”. The good news was that I had arrived to help and advise him; the bad news was that the installation was taking longer than expected and the job therefore was unfinished. Not to worry. I reassured him that much useful work could and would be done.
Thursday/Friday: On site. Met the installation team - three from UK supported by Thai labour. The locals had clearly picked up what for them were new skills very quickly and all seemed to be working very well together on this British supplied product. Established priorities and objectives for my work. To my surprise a cable TV crew arrived with other free-lance journalists all wanting video footage and interviews. This was after all the first project of its kind in the country and to them very newsworthy. Worked and sweated hard carrying out both inspection and consultancy tasks broken only by much eating of Thai food, drinking litres of bottled water and much needed showers and sleep.
Saturday: Mission accomplished. A very good play centre in prospect and they might be interested in a twinning arrangement with a UK play centre. Any offers? Hopefully the jet lag will not last too long since I have 4 South Coast inspections to carry out next week. A more usual long-haul for this much travelled play inspector!
Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.
Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Thursday, 12 March 2009
The Inspector Calls...
After months of relative winter inactivity the phone begins to ring. Five inspections in six days! Greater Manchester, Essex, Greater London, The Lake District and the west coast of Ireland. North, South, East and West! My latest workhorse of a car is certainly being run-in!
The inspections have their own variations. Each from a different supplier - four UK companies and one from across the big pond. Different design, manufacturing and installation techniques, but generally the quality is there. There have been huge improvements in the product over the last 16 years. I like to believe all the work I have put into helping create independent safety guidelines and British and European Standards for the industry has paid off.
Then there are the types of inspections - two Post-Installations, two Annuals and one that is a bit of both. What a difference inspecting empty play frames and those teeming with kids! “Can you give me a lift down mister?” Under no circumstances!
Friday: A five year old Play Centre still giving good service in a downtown location. Discussed issues of fire safety both in the design and in the need for fire safety systems. The need to be able to get everyone out inside 2½ minutes is very real for all Centres. It’s the smoke that kills.
Monday: Spanking new Centre and with a vintage United States Fire Engine in pristine condition set to transport children to the Play Centre for Parties. How cool is that!
Second job: Arrived to find installation work continuing – never easy but able to pick up on some safety issues with the installation team on site to address them so useful work done.
Wednesday: One year old Play Centre having its first Annual. Immaculate condition. Gave some training on indoor play to a work colleague grounded in outdoor playgrounds. Big differences found – like you get a hot drink on arrival!
Thursday: Short flight to the peat bogs of Ireland. Very impressive new build in a brand new leisure complex – once we had dredged our way through the mud to get inside among the hard hats!
Next week will be very different. An important BSI revising committee for British Standard BS8409 to Chair and just one post-installation inspection. Not much travelling? Wrong! The job is 6,000 miles away in Bangkok. It’s a hard life!
Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.
The inspections have their own variations. Each from a different supplier - four UK companies and one from across the big pond. Different design, manufacturing and installation techniques, but generally the quality is there. There have been huge improvements in the product over the last 16 years. I like to believe all the work I have put into helping create independent safety guidelines and British and European Standards for the industry has paid off.
Then there are the types of inspections - two Post-Installations, two Annuals and one that is a bit of both. What a difference inspecting empty play frames and those teeming with kids! “Can you give me a lift down mister?” Under no circumstances!
Friday: A five year old Play Centre still giving good service in a downtown location. Discussed issues of fire safety both in the design and in the need for fire safety systems. The need to be able to get everyone out inside 2½ minutes is very real for all Centres. It’s the smoke that kills.
Monday: Spanking new Centre and with a vintage United States Fire Engine in pristine condition set to transport children to the Play Centre for Parties. How cool is that!
Second job: Arrived to find installation work continuing – never easy but able to pick up on some safety issues with the installation team on site to address them so useful work done.
Wednesday: One year old Play Centre having its first Annual. Immaculate condition. Gave some training on indoor play to a work colleague grounded in outdoor playgrounds. Big differences found – like you get a hot drink on arrival!
Thursday: Short flight to the peat bogs of Ireland. Very impressive new build in a brand new leisure complex – once we had dredged our way through the mud to get inside among the hard hats!
Next week will be very different. An important BSI revising committee for British Standard BS8409 to Chair and just one post-installation inspection. Not much travelling? Wrong! The job is 6,000 miles away in Bangkok. It’s a hard life!
Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.
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