What is the ADIPS scheme?
The ADIPS scheme is a Health and Safety Executive (HSE)-approved way to ensure the safety of funfair and fairground rides. It is organised by the The Amusement Devices Safety Council (ADSC) and administered by ADIPS Ltd - a non-profit company that reinvests all excess income into amusement ride safety protocols.
ADIPS stands for the Amusement Device Inspection Procedures Scheme, and is the regulatory body for ensuring the safety of all 'amusement devices'. This includes funfair rides, coin-operated machines such as some arcade machines, and many other mechanical entertainment options.
It also runs a registration service that assesses and administers the inspectors for our fairground and funfair rides.
ADIPS was established in 2002 following the Roberts Review into Fairground Safety. This review took place after a number of incidents occurred in 2000 which suggested the need for clarity on funfair ride regulations and requirements.
Through ADIPS, you know that our funfair rides have been inspected before use, and rides, games and amusement attractions are thoroughly tested and certified annually. We also have mechanics on-hand that check over and maintain our products to ensure they fly through the ADIPS scheme!
Funfair Health and Safety Legislation
The ADIPS scheme forms the backbone of funfair health and safety legislation in the UK, and while there is more legislation, regulations and certifications that affect funfair and fairground operators, such as PIPA, PAT testing or the HSAW act, ADIPS specifically relates to this specific sector.
All amusement devices registered under the ADIPS scheme will have a Declaration of Operational Compliance, also called a DOC. This confirms that the ride has been inspected and certified as safe to use, up to the expiration date of the DOC. Members of the public can check the DOC using the ADIPS online DOC check database.
ADIPS is a nationwide standard and supplants a number of varying standards that were used by different organisations or in different locations; ADIPS covers the whole of the UK, providing clarity to the public and to event organisers.
ADIPS and the Wider Funfair Ride Safety System
Understanding ADIPS is easier when it is considered alongside the other processes involved in amusement-device safety. Inspection is important, but it sits alongside maintenance, routine checks, correct installation, appropriate operation and event-specific safety planning.
For a broader introduction to the framework surrounding amusement equipment, What Are the UK's Safety Standards for Fairgrounds? provides useful further reading.
How Ride Testing Relates to ADIPS
If you want to move from the scheme itself to the practical subject of amusement-device testing, How Funfair Rides Are Tested for Safety explains the wider testing and inspection picture.
This helps distinguish formal inspection arrangements from the many other checks and safety procedures involved in operating fairground rides at events.
Read More About Non-destructive Testing
Some readers researching amusement-device inspection will also encounter the term non-destructive testing, often abbreviated to NDT. This is a more specialised subject than a general introduction to ADIPS.
Non-destructive Testing of Funfair Rides explains what NDT means and why techniques that examine relevant components without damaging them can form part of the wider inspection and maintenance picture.
Inspection and Maintenance Are Not the Same Thing
An inspection should not be treated as a substitute for appropriate maintenance. Amusement equipment needs attention throughout its working life rather than only at particular inspection points.
Funfair Ride Periodic Maintenance looks specifically at this longer-term responsibility and provides a useful next step for readers interested in what happens between formal inspection stages.
Daily Ride Checks Have a Different Purpose
Formal inspection arrangements also do not remove the need for routine checks associated with operating an attraction. These take place on a very different timescale and address the condition and operation of equipment during its normal use.
Daily Safety Checks for Funfair Rides explains this part of the safety process in more detail.
Mobile Rides Also Need to Be Installed Correctly
Many fairground attractions are mobile pieces of equipment that travel between event sites. Their safety arrangements therefore extend beyond inspection to transportation, assembly and installation at the venue.
How Are Funfair Rides Transported? looks at the movement of amusement equipment between sites, while How to Assemble and Dismantle Funfair Rides provides further information about the build and removal stages.
For the wider event setup process, see How to Set Up and Tear Down Funfair Rides.
Electrical Safety Is a Separate Area to Consider
Electrical systems and power provision form another part of fairground safety. These requirements should not be assumed to have been dealt with simply because an attraction has undergone the appropriate amusement-device inspection processes.
Fairground Electrical Safety Regulations looks specifically at this subject, while How Are Funfair Rides Powered? explains more about how power is provided to amusement equipment at events.
Risk Assessment Deals with the Event as Well as the Equipment
A ride can arrive with the appropriate inspection arrangements in place while the event itself still presents matters that need to be assessed. The venue, positioning, queues, weather, access and surrounding activities can all affect the operating environment.
How to Perform a Funfair Ride Risk Assessment provides more information about assessing those event-specific considerations.
Weather Can Still Affect an Inspected Ride
Inspection does not mean an attraction should operate regardless of conditions. Weather can change the environment in which equipment is being used, and decisions should follow the requirements applicable to the individual attraction.
How to Keep Funfair Rides Safe in Windy Conditions looks specifically at wind, while How to Prepare Funfairs for Adverse Weather covers a wider range of changing weather conditions.
Passenger Safety Continues Every Time the Ride Operates
The safety process also continues when passengers arrive at an attraction. Appropriate loading, restraints, passenger requirements and operator instructions remain relevant regardless of the inspection history of the equipment.
How to Safely Load Funfair Rides looks at the loading stage in more detail. Why Do Some Funfair Rides Have Height Restrictions? explains another aspect of passenger suitability, while Funfair Ride Health Restrictions and the Equality Act considers health restrictions and accessibility.
What If a Ride Stops During an Event?
A temporary ride stop should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that inspection has failed. Attractions can stop for operational, environmental and technical reasons, including circumstances where stopping is the appropriate response.
What Causes a Funfair Ride to Stop? provides more detailed guidance about why this can happen and what visitors should do if an attraction stops.
ADIPS Is One Part of the Safety Picture
For event organisers and visitors, the important point is that fairground safety is built from several connected processes rather than one certificate, inspection or check. Testing, maintenance, daily checks, installation, passenger management, weather decisions and event planning all have their own roles.
Are Fairground Rides Safe? provides a broader overview, while Health and Safety FAQs answers additional questions about funfair safety. You can also use our Guides to find more detailed information about individual aspects of amusement ride operation.
If you are planning fairground and funfair hire, contact us to discuss the rides, attractions and practical requirements for your event.