Bungee jumping 'killed off' by new safety rules
Strict new safety rules could spell the end of bungee jumping in Sweden, companies who organize the activity have warned.
“It’s a shame. This will kill an entire sector,” said Ulf Kempe, an outdoor activity organizer in Jönköping told the Jönköpings-Posten newspaper.
Almost all bungee jumps in Sweden are taken from mobile cranes, which are usually rented. All equipment, including platforms and safety harnesses, are provided by organizers and are inspected regularly according to a set of criteria.
But now the industry is under threat after the Swedish National Police Board (Rikspolisstyrelsen) has issued a stricter interpretation of the rules, making it harder for companies to pass inspections.
“We are being reclassified as fairground operators, which has led the police to demand that we inspect our equipment in a new way in order to get permission to arrange bungee jumps,” Kempe said.
Under current rules, all new fairground equipment must be inspected carefully when it enters Sweden to ensure it meets Swedish safety standards. The strict application of the rules means that jump organizers must have their equipment inspected every time they arrange a jump.
“The crane now has to be inspected together with our platform. Even if the equipment and the crane are approved individually, they cannot be used together,” Kempe said.
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“It’s a shame. This will kill an entire sector,” said Ulf Kempe, an outdoor activity organizer in Jönköping told the Jönköpings-Posten newspaper.
Almost all bungee jumps in Sweden are taken from mobile cranes, which are usually rented. All equipment, including platforms and safety harnesses, are provided by organizers and are inspected regularly according to a set of criteria.
But now the industry is under threat after the Swedish National Police Board (Rikspolisstyrelsen) has issued a stricter interpretation of the rules, making it harder for companies to pass inspections.
“We are being reclassified as fairground operators, which has led the police to demand that we inspect our equipment in a new way in order to get permission to arrange bungee jumps,” Kempe said.
Under current rules, all new fairground equipment must be inspected carefully when it enters Sweden to ensure it meets Swedish safety standards. The strict application of the rules means that jump organizers must have their equipment inspected every time they arrange a jump.
“The crane now has to be inspected together with our platform. Even if the equipment and the crane are approved individually, they cannot be used together,” Kempe said.
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