Bounce houses are a fixture of birthday parties, school events, and backyard summer fun but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns they have killed 12 people and caused an estimated 113,000 emergency department-treated injuries over just a ten-year period. CPSC has issued a formal Safety Bulletin covering inflatable amusement devices for both residential and commercial use, and warns that most serious incidents are attributable to the same preventable causes: improper anchoring, wind exposure, and inadequate supervision.
The Wind Hazard Most People Never Think About
The single most dangerous scenario involving bounce houses is wind liftoff. CPSC warns that even at low wind speeds, improperly anchored inflatables can begin to move — and as wind speed increases, they can become fully airborne with children inside. The results can be fatal. CPSC’s guidance is explicit: operators must stop use and immediately evacuate and deflate any inflatable when wind speeds exceed the manufacturer’s recommendation, and must always stop when gusts exceed 25 mph regardless of manufacturer specs. When large branches are in motion and whistling is heard in overhead wires, it is dangerous to operate any inflatable.
Most Common Injury Scenarios
Beyond wind, CPSC’s data on 3,991 documented serious incidents and 12 deaths between 2003 and 2013 show the following primary hazard patterns:
- Children of very different sizes mixing inside the same inflatable at the same time, causing collisions and falls
- Overcrowding beyond the manufacturer’s rated capacity
- Children falling from inflatables that were not properly anchored or were placed on uneven surfaces
- Inflatables deflating suddenly — particularly taller slides — and collapsing onto riders
Safety Rules
- Always follow the manufacturer’s anchoring instructions exactly, using every anchor point every time. For outdoor setups, stakes should be driven at least 75 percent of their length into the ground.
- Never use the inflatable when wind speeds exceed 20 mph. If the tops of trees are swaying, it is too windy.
- Do not mix toddlers with older, larger children inside the same inflatable at the same time.
- Maintain active adult supervision of all users at all times.
- Never exceed the manufacturer’s maximum occupancy or weight limits.
- Do not allow shoes, glasses, or sharp objects inside the inflatable.
- Make sure the blower motor has a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).
- Any injury involving an inflatable should be reported to CPSC at SaferProducts.gov.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, visit SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772.
