Safety of extreme entertainment

An extreme entertainment activity is an activity

• offered by an organiser to one or more consumers, for amusement or recreational purposes,
• available to the consumer through an installation designed for that purpose,
• in which the sense of danger, risk or challenge encourages consumers to participate.

These are activities such as bungee jumping, parachute jumping, ‘death rides’ etc.

To organise an event of this kind, various different organisational aspects need to be borne in mind, as well as the safety of the event. A well designed safety plan will help you organise a safe event and comply with regulations.

Laws and regulations

Conditions for organising an extreme entertainment activity

Notification requirement

Laws and regulations

An extreme entertainment activity can only take place if it complies with the general safety obligations provided for in the law of 9 February 1994 on the safety of products and services .

For extreme entertainment, the requirements of this law are further developed and supplemented by the Royal Decree of 4 March 2002 concerning the organisation of extreme entertainment .

Regulations on extreme entertainment focus on the installations used. Such facilities are often rented out and it is the organiser’s responsibility to ensure that the distributor also complies with the regulations.

Conditions for organising an extreme entertainment activity

To meet the safety requirements for organising an extreme entertainment activity, the following steps must be taken:

1. the organiser creates a schedule for the entertainment and a list of the necessary components and their features;
2. the organiser conducts a risk assessment;
3. if the activity complies with a standard, the organiser may mention that it should comply with the general safety obligation for the aspects that may be hazardous;
4. the organiser establishes preventive measures;
5. the organiser applies these preventive measures;
6. the organiser appoints a safety coordinator who will be present during the extreme entertainment activity;
7. the organiser takes steps (training, inspection, maintenance etc.) to ensure that participants and third parties are not exposed to unacceptable risk and danger.

The following information must be indicated legibly and in a location that is clearly visible to the consumer or participant:

• warnings and notices regarding safety,
• the name or business name of the organiser,
• the organiser’s address,
• other relevant information

It is forbidden to display the disclaimer ‘Use at your own risk’ (or any other similar disclaimer).

Notification requirement

Serious incidents and accidents must be reported immediately to the central contact point.

A serious accident is a fatality or an accident that causes or could cause permanent injury.

A serious incident is an incident that results or could result in a serious accident.