Bungee Jumping Safety Standards: Setting the Bar High for Adventure Events

It’s easy to see why bungee jumping is considered an extreme activity - throwing yourself off a 160-foot crane isn’t exactly a typical weekend activity. But that’s exactly what makes bungee jumping the ultimate adrenaline rush.

With rigorous safety procedures and highly trained staff, UK Bungee Club transforms this extreme experience into something thrilling, controlled, and most importantly, safe.

A Brief History

Bungee jumping has its roots (literally) in the vine-jumping traditions of Pentecost Island, where young men would leap from wooden towers as a test of courage.

Modern bungee, however, began much closer to home. On 1st April 1979, members of Oxford University's Dangerous Sports Club performed the first modern bungee jump from the Clifton Suspension Bridge. They were promptly arrested, though more out of confusion than criminality, as there were no laws covering such an act. In fact, after some deliberation, the police officers shared a bottle of red wine with the students before releasing them.

This adventurous spirit lives on, but today it’s supported by decades of professional safety standards and industry best practices.

From Risk to Regulation

Over 30 years ago, the UK Bungee Club (UKBC) set out to establish safe methods for bungee jumping, with the goal of making the sport regulated and commercialised. This work involved creating specifications for equipment, designing training programs, setting qualifications for operators, and developing procedures to minimise human error and protect participants. 

To formalise these efforts, UKBC assisted with developing the BERSA (British Elastic Rope Sports Association) Code, and went on to follow and refine it over the next 30 years. While the BERSA organisation has since dissolved, UKBC continues to build on that foundation with its own up-to-date code of safe practice, as well as consulting with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to develop the HSE Guide to Bungee Jumping. 

Our new code retains the core principles of the original BERSA Code while introducing additional, more up-to-date practices to ensure the highest bungee jumping safety standards.

Our Safety Principles

Every bungee jump we facilitate rests on three core principles:

1. Competence

As well as being bungee lovers, our team are highly trained professionals. Every staff member involved in the jump process has the skills, knowledge, and experience to manage safety-critical aspects of the event. Training is ongoing, rigorous, and built around a culture of precision and accountability.

2. Redundancy

Safety systems are designed with multiple layers of protection. Every critical component, from ropes to harnesses, has a backup system of equal or greater strength. These redundant backups remain inactive unless the primary system encounters a failure. In the event of such a rare occurrence, the redundant backup seamlessly takes over, ensuring the continued safety of our equipment and staff.

Equipment undergoes thorough checks by at least two separate crew members, ensuring no single point of failure. 

3. Informed Participation

All participants are fully briefed before taking part, including receiving an experience-specific Health Warning Notice that outlines the activity’s risks. We believe in transparency and encourage participants to ask questions so they can make informed decisions about taking part.

Additional Measures

Beyond these principles, UKBC enforces strict regulations covering participant age, health, weight limits, harness fitting, and weather conditions. If any factor doesn’t meet our exacting standards, the jump is paused or cancelled. When it comes to safety, there are no compromises.

Why It Matters

For charities planning fundraising events, safety is paramount, not only for participant well-being but also for protecting your organisation’s reputation. Partnering with UK Bungee Club ensures your event is managed with industry-leading standards, providing peace of mind to organisers, participants, and supporters alike.

Bungee jumping will always deliver excitement. With UKBC, it also delivers professionalism, safety, and absolute confidence.

Excited to explore the thrill of bungee jumping for your charity, hospice, or organisation? Reach out to our team today to discuss your requirements!