PIPA is the UK inspection scheme for inflatable play equipment: bouncy castles, inflatable slides, obstacle courses and similar air-filled structures. An inflatable that passes inspection by a registered PIPA inspector gets a unique numbered tag fixed to the unit, confirming it has been examined against the relevant safety standard (BS EN 14960) and found fit for use. The scheme's register lives at pipa.org.uk.
What operators need to know
Inspections are annual in normal use, carried out by inspectors on the PIPA register, and typically cost somewhere between £50 and £150 per unit depending on size. The tag is the thing everyone checks: your insurer will ask for the tag numbers and test certificates, and an EHO who finds an untagged or lapsed inflatable in commercial use has found a genuine problem. No current tag, no bounce, is the operating rule that keeps you defensible.
The tag belongs to the specific unit, not the venue. Buy a secondhand castle and you inherit its inspection history, or its absence; hire one in for an event and checking the tag is your job, not just the supplier's.
Where it fits among the other schemes
PIPA covers inflatables. Fixed soft play structures follow EN 1176, powered rides fall under ADIPS, and trampoline parks work to PAS 5000. Our PIPA inspection guide covers preparation, costs and what inspectors check in detail.
SafePlay's Equipment Register tracks each inflatable's tag number, certificate and next inspection date, with reminders before anything lapses.