Are you a member of the public

What you must do:

You must take reasonable care to ensure you don't put yourself at risk. Take note of any safety briefing or signs. Don't interfere with things such as safety bars and restraints that are there to protect you. Some rides will have height or weight restrictions and may require riders to have certain physical abilities; you should not try to get around them as these restrictions are in place to keep you out of danger.

Alcohol or drugs can affect people's ability to understand potential risks at fairgrounds. Try to avoid mixing these with a good time at the fair, as they can lead to problems for you and the ride operators.

Young children's lack of risk awareness can be a problem. HSE has published some advice on keeping children safe at the fair.

What you need to know:

• Fairground machinery is designed to provide people attending fairs with an exciting, fun time but without exposing them to serious danger.
• You are actually at far greater risk of injury during your journey to the fair than when riding fairground machines.
• Fairground ride owners are required by law to have their machines inspected annually by someone competent. This could be, for example, an inspector registered under the HSE-supported Amusement Devices Inspection Procedures Scheme (ADIPS) or under the similarly supported PIPA scheme for inflatables (bouncy castles etc).
• If there is an accident on a machine that results in serious injury, the ride owner is required to notify HSE.
• Inflatables can be great fun but can be dangerous if not correctly inflated or used.