Arranged, not carried out by us
Annual main inspections
We don't hold the RPII Annual grade, so we don't carry these out. We arrange them for you with an independent Annual-grade inspector.
The annual main inspection is the deepest tier of the BS EN 1176 regime, and the one your insurer is most likely to ask about. It assesses overall safety levels, long-term structural condition, foundations and the cumulative effects of wear, weather and previous repairs.
We don't carry these out ourselves
Stated plainly: Cornwall Play Safety does not hold the RPII Annual grade. It is a separate accreditation from the routine and operational grades we hold, and we are not qualified to carry out annual main inspections. We won't imply otherwise anywhere on this site.
What we can do is arrange it. Your annual is carried out by an RPII Annual-grade inspector from a separate practice, with no involvement in — and no benefit from — any repair work on your site. We handle the booking and the invoicing, so you still deal with one contact and receive one invoice, but the inspection and the report are theirs.
As it happens, that arrangement is also what the standard wants. BS EN 1176-7 expects the annual to be independent of whoever maintains the site — and since we carry out repairs, an arm's-length inspector is the right answer regardless of who holds which qualification.
It also means there is always an independent set of eyes checking the same site we inspect and repair. If our operational findings were ever inflated, the annual would catch it — which is precisely what makes the arrangement worth having.
What it covers
- Overall safety level of the site assessed against current standards
- Long-term structural degradation, including foundations and buried components
- Effects of weathering, corrosion and repair history
- Impact-absorbing surfacing performance and critical fall height
- A written report suitable for insurers, auditors and the council's records
Already have an annual provider?
That's fine, and common — many Cornish parishes use a county rotation scheme. We work alongside whoever you use, and we'll quote against their findings exactly as we would our own. See repairs for how that works.
Questions
Frequently asked
Who actually carries out the annual inspection?
An RPII Annual-grade inspector from our partner practice, who is independent of Cornwall Play Safety and has no involvement in any repair work on your site. We arrange the visit and handle the invoicing so you have one point of contact, but the inspection and the report are theirs.
Why is it carried out by someone else?
Two reasons. First, we do not hold the RPII Annual grade — it is a separate accreditation from the routine and operational grades we hold, so we are not qualified to carry out annual main inspections. Second, BS EN 1176-7 expects the annual to be independent of whoever maintains the site, and since we do repair work, an arm’s-length inspector is the right answer anyway.
What does the annual cover that the operational does not?
The annual main inspection assesses overall safety levels, long-term structural degradation, foundations, and the effects of weathering and repair history. It is a deeper assessment of the site as a whole rather than a check against the last visit.
Can we use our own annual inspector?
Of course. Plenty of clients already have an annual provider — RoSPA county schemes and others. We are happy to work alongside whoever you use, and we will quote against their findings just as readily as our own.