The Amusement Device Inspection Procedures Scheme (ADIPS)
We have been made aware of comments which suggest a degree of confusion about the role of The Amusement Device Inspection Procedures Scheme (ADIPS).
The ADSC supervises and oversees ADIPS. The ADSC is made up of representatives from all major industry associations, who represent the interests of ride controllers, operators, inspection bodies and manufacturers. The ADSC consists of:
The Amusement Catering Equipment Society (ACES);
The Association of Independent Showmen (AIS);
The Amusement and Leisure Equipment Suppliers of the UK (ALES-UK);
The British Amusement Catering Trades Association (BACTA);
The British Association of Leisure Parks Piers and Attractions (BALPPA);
The National Association For Leisure Industry Certification (NAFLIC);
The Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain (SGGB);
The Society of Independent Roundabout Proprietors (SIRPS).
Our organisation is democratic and all of the above members have only one vote each. Decisions are taken on a simple majority.
Safety is the industry’s number one priority. The industry associations are unanimous in this and are true advocates of promoting and protecting public safety on fairgrounds having worked alongside the HSE for decades.
Here are some important facts about our work and ADIPS:
The industry assocations agree their ride controlling members should use ADIPS Inspection Bodies. They believe this is firmly in the best interests of their members. Using an ADIPS Inspection Body helps controllers to comply with the law, reducing the risks and potential costs of accidents and enforcement action.
ADSC members are unpaid. They give up many days of their time each year and are compensated for meeting expenses only.
ADIPS is a not for profit organisation. The DOC fee enables the ADSC to be sustainable and to deliver the organisation’s purpose. Any trading surplus is reinvested into the ADIPS Scheme and into improving safety matters.
We are committed to the principles of HSG 175: Fairgrounds and amusement parks – guidance on safe practice. We developed the current framework alongside the HSE. It captures the lessons and experiences our members have gained over the past 40 years. We believe this framework will help us to reduce the accident rate further on fairgrounds.
ADIPS helps ride controllers to comply with their legal duties. Controllers must have their rides inspected annually by a competent person. ADIPS registration is recognised by the HSE as one way of demonstrating competence and thereby can discharge the controller’s legal responsibility to ensure both the person and the organisation is competent to carry out the inspection service.
Controllers importing rides from outside Great Britain have duties to ensure the rides are safe and have been subject to any testing necessary to prove their integrity and safety. ADIPS pre-use inspection allows importers to demonstrate this and rides without it may be stopped by the HSE.
ADIPS helps ride controllers comply with insurance conditions. A condition of commercial ‘risk’ insurance demands that the controller complies with the law, such as ensuring that amusement devices are inspected and maintained by competent persons and are safe for continued use. As such the ‘risk’ may not be fully insured if these requirements are not met.
We manage a fair and just disciplinary and appeal procedure for inspection bodies. We do not exclude inspectors lightly. Our procedures are robust and proportionate and allow inspectors to be supported wherever possible so they can continue to provide the right service to controllers.
We must in all instances be satisfied than an inspector can continue to carry out their work properly. Inspection plays a vital role in ensuring rides are properly maintained and can operate safely and inspectors must be held to a high standard of work. We will only exclude an inspector where there are serious concerns about their work and the impact on public safety. Public safety is paramount.
ADIPS delivers instant ride certification. Inspection Bodies have full and unlimited access to the ADIPS database. Changes have been made to allow for DOCs to be sent automatically by email following completion of an inspection. ADIPS is extremely unlikely to be responsible for any inaccuracy or delay in paperwork.
Inspection Bodies are obliged to issue DOCs promptly, i.e. as soon as they can, following completion of a satisfactory inspection. This is a condition of registration for all inspection bodies.
We are committed to making ADIPS more accessible and improving available inspection resources. This is our main objective for 2016. We have made changes to entry requirements to ensure ADIPS is open to competent people from other industries and have introduced a trainee category.
In the last few years we have introduced a second category of rides, which covers about 70% of fairground rides and have subsidised the inspection/certification of approximately 500 rides moving their inspection to a quieter period of the season.
We are committed to safety education and guidance and making this more accessible. A range of guidance has been produced for those working in the industry. We are committed to growing our Safety and Health Awareness Days (SHAD) and offering them throughout Great Britain thus making it more accessible to showmen. Over 400 showmen have benefitted from these free events in the last two years.
The HSE put it best when they said that they believe ADIPS has helped to contribute to the reduction of accidents on fairgrounds.
We are proud of everyone’s achievements and believe there has been a positive and lasting impact on the industry. We take the responsibility very seriously and complacency will not set in. We see that there is more work to be done to make our services more accessible and there are further challenges ahead. We are committed to engaging with members at all levels and would encourage everyone to actively communicate with their industry associations on safety matters. This in turn can help to shape our discussions and tailor services to support you where it matters.
