06/09/2026
🚨 This industry needs to have a serious conversation about safety.
After seeing multiple incidents involving inflatables in high winds, we want to be very clear about where Club Air stands. Not just as a business, but as a small family business with kids of our own.
Our rule has always been simple:
If we wouldn’t set it up for our own kids, we won’t set it up for yours.
Owning an inflatable does not automatically make someone an inflatable hire operator.
We see inflatables appear on Facebook Marketplace. We see new hire businesses pop up, start advertising and taking bookings. We won’t name names, but we’ve even had operators contact us already running and advertising, only to realise afterwards that they needed their inflatable nightclub certified and appropriately insured, and suddenly needed it sorted ASAP.
That concerns us.
Because insurance, certification, compliance and safety procedures shouldn’t be something you discover after you’ve started advertising, taking bookings or operating.
The safety work starts before the first booking is ever taken.
SafeWork requirements and guidance, applicable Australian Standards including the AS 3533 framework, manufacturer specifications, inspections, certification where required, anchoring requirements, maintenance, risk assessments, weather limits, documentation and appropriate insurance are all part of operating responsibly.
These aren’t boxes to tick after the fact.
There are people inside these inflatables.
Insurance isn’t easy either.
For our particular type of operation, we have one insurer who will provide the cover we require. The process is thorough. They want documentation. They want to understand our equipment, certification and how we operate before issuing a policy.
And we think that’s a good thing.
We WANT scrutiny.
We WANT standards.
We WANT operators to know their responsibilities.
Because if someone is getting into inflatable hire thinking it’s a quick buck, this probably isn’t the industry for them.
At Club Air, we’ve invested heavily in doing this properly.
Our entire customer process is digital. Customers receive clear information throughout their booking. We monitor weather conditions and forecasts. We issue weather warnings. We provide customers with the information and tools they need. We have processes around setup and operation, and our Terms & Conditions were professionally drafted. Yes, the lawyer charged us an arm and a leg 😂.
Why?
Because when conditions change, nobody should be left wondering what happens next.
And sometimes, after doing everything right, the answer is still:
We’re not setting up yet.
Sometimes it’s:
We’re not setting up at all.
That can mean disappointing a customer.
It can mean changing our entire day.
It can mean waiting hours for conditions to improve.
It can mean losing money.
That’s part of being a responsible operator.
As a business, you’re making safety decisions well before you arrive at someone’s property. You have forecasts available. You know your equipment. You know its operating limits. You know the procedures you’re supposed to follow.
When an incident involving an inflatable occurs, we believe the operator’s processes and procedures should be fully investigated.
Not simply whether there were pegs in the ground.
What did the forecast say?
What were the predicted and actual wind gusts?
What were the manufacturer’s operating limits?
Was the site properly assessed?
Was the equipment appropriately inspected and certified where required?
Were the correct anchoring procedures followed?
Were the relevant SafeWork guidance and applicable Australian Standards being followed?
Was there a documented process for monitoring changing conditions?
And ultimately:
What reasonable steps did the operator take before deciding it was safe to set up and continue operating?
We aren’t going to speculate about the circumstances or responsibility for individual incidents without knowing all the facts. That’s for the appropriate authorities to investigate, and our thoughts are with the children and families involved.
But incidents like these should make every operator in this industry stop and look at their own business.
Safety isn’t just how many pegs you use.
It’s the equipment you purchase.
It’s certification and inspection where applicable.
It’s insurance.
It’s understanding the standards and guidance relevant to your equipment.
It’s assessing the site.
It’s monitoring the weather.
It’s communicating with your customer.
And most importantly, it’s being prepared to say NO when the conditions aren’t right.
A booking isn’t worth an injury.
A hire fee isn’t worth ignoring the conditions.
And “we’ve already set it up” is never a reason to continue operating when it isn’t safe.
We absolutely love what we do. We want kids having ridiculous parties they’ll talk about for years.
But the party will always come second to getting everyone home safely.
If we wouldn’t do it for our kids, we won’t do it for yours.
Club Air 💜🪩
