LEAPS – Industry Leadership, Compliance, and Ongoing Developments

At the Leisure Equipment and Asset Protection Scheme (LEAPS), we are dedicated to enhancing safety, compliance, and operational best practices in theme parks, amusement parks, inflatable parks, and active leisure industries. Our work extends beyond inspections and audits, actively shaping industry standards, training programs, expert witness services, and regulatory compliance frameworks.

1. Standards Development & Committee Representation

LEAPS actively contributes to shaping national and European safety standards by participating in three major standards committees:

• BSI Committee for BS EN 13814 – Focused on the safety of amusement rides and attractions, ensuring structural integrity and operational safety.
• 13814 CEN Committee (European Committee for Standardization) – Developing and refining European safety standards for amusement.
• BS EN 14960 Committee – Contributing to developing safety standards for inflatable play equipment, ensuring best practices in design, operation, and inspections.

2. Industry Safety Committees

LEAPS is an active member of key regulatory and industry safety committees, including:

• BALPPA Safety Committee (British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers, and Attractions) – Working with the amusement and attractions industry to enhance safety standards and best practices.
• HSE FJAC Committee (Fairgrounds & Amusement Parks Joint Advisory Committee) – Working with the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on accident prevention, enforcement, and regulatory developments in the amusement and leisure industry.

3. Expert Witness Services

Working as Associates through Sibling Company Finch Consulting, Jon Ruddock and Tony Knutsen provide expert witness reports for legal cases, insurance claims, and regulatory investigations, leveraging our extensive industry knowledge and technical expertise.

• Our expert knowledge of the leisure industry allows us to provide comprehensive analysis, accident investigation, and court-compliant reports.
• We assist in post-accident investigations, risk assessments, and failure analysis, offering independent and objective evaluations of incidents involving amusement rides, inflatable parks, and other active leisure attractions.
• Our expert witness reports are used in legal proceedings, regulatory cases, and insurance claims to establish compliance, negligence, or contributory factors in accidents.

4. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) & Quality Manual Development

LEAPS has developed comprehensive Scheme Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a Quality Manual to enhance safety and compliance across the industry:

• LEAPS Quality Manual – Written to define policies, processes, and quality assurance measures for maintaining high inspection and compliance standards.
• Inspection Bodies SOPs – Providing clear guidelines for inspection procedures, compliance checks, and regulatory adherence.
• Controllers SOPs – Defining roles, responsibilities, and risk management protocols for amusement and active leisure facility managers.
• Inflatable Parks SOPs – Establishing operational safety guidelines, maintenance procedures, and inspection frameworks.
• Pre-Use Inspection SOPs for Inflatable Parks – Currently under review, developed specifically for inspection bodies, ensuring that inflatable devices meet safety standards before public use.
• Water Parks SOP – Currently under review, providing guidance on safety management, inspections, risk assessments, and operational controls for water parks.

5. Training & Industry Development

LEAPS has played a leading role in industry training and development, including:

• Training Course Proposals – Developing structured training programs for inspectors, controllers, and operational staff.
• LEAPS Membership & Compliance Proposals – Establishing criteria for joining LEAPS, ensuring that inspection bodies and operators meet strict safety and compliance requirements.
• New Industry Development Proposals – Contributing to implementing and expanding new safety areas, improving inspection standards, operator training, and regulatory compliance.

6. Ongoing & In-Progress Developments

LEAPS is actively working on several key industry initiatives, including:

• Training for 350+ Environmental Health Officer (EHO) Offices in the UK – Developing a comprehensive training program to enhance the knowledge and enforcement capabilities of EHOs regarding active leisure attractions.
• Training for theme parks on the operational and maintenance of rides along with how to deal with the aftermath of a major accident.
• Pre-Use SOP for Inflatable Parks – Further refining and finalising pre-use inspection procedures to ensure safety compliance before public use.
• Controllers SOP for Inflatable Parks – Establishing a standardised operational framework for controllers managing inflatable parks, ensuring clear safety responsibilities and compliance requirements.
• Standards Development for Inflatable Parks – Continuing work on expanding and formalising safety standards specifically tailored to inflatable parks, addressing key design, operational, and safety requirements.
• Development of a BACTA Scheme for Coin-Operated Rides – A proposal to modernise the coin-operated ride safety scheme, bringing it into the digital age through enhanced categorization, monitoring, and compliance measures.

7. Audit, Inspection, and Compliance Leadership

• ISO 23659-01 Operational Audits – Conducting audits for trampoline parks and inflatable parks to verify compliance with international safety standards.
• Inflatable Park Standard Development – Authored a dedicated safety standard for inflatable parks, addressing gaps in BS EN 14960 and setting clear inspection and operational safety guidelines.
• Rope Course & Trampoline Park Audits – Assessing compliance, and risk management procedures to ensure industry safety.

Through standards development, committee involvement, expert witness services, SOP and quality manual implementation, training proposals, ongoing industry initiatives, and compliance leadership, LEAPS continues to shape and enhance safety practices across the amusement, inflatable park, and active leisure industries.