UKAS and Sportsafe Lead the Way with Groundbreaking Inspection Standard That Will Save Schools Money

Richard Powell12 November 2019, 09:00 UTC 6 min readupdated 7 Sep 2026restored 2026

class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"> Sportsafe has changed the future of sports equipment inspections by becoming the first and only provider to hold the coveted ISO 17020:2012 standard, accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) .

UKAS is responsible for “mass life critical” safety testing processes and standards used in nuclear power stations, transport safety systems, aircraft safety and the testing of our drinking water.

UKAS is the sole national accreditation body recognised by the British government to assess the competence of organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.

Sportsafe, the leading Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA) Inspection Company, based in Colchester, has been working for the last three years with UKAS, the government standards agency, to create the accreditation, which holds inspectors and Sportsafe to greater accountability.

Expanding the manual on how to thoroughly inspect sports and play equipment across schools, parks and councils, Sportsafe inspectors are now the only ones in the industry to receive accredited training and qualifications.

Andy Bickerstaff, Technical and Quality Manager at Sportsafe, said: “It has been really confusing for clients to know who to trust when it comes to inspecting their sports equipment.

“Up until now there has been no recognised industry standard holding all inspection bodies in this field to account, with different standards being specified in indoor and outdoor safety inspections.

“For the last three years, Sportsafe has been working hard to rectify this situation and we are proud to say we are now the only provider in the UK and across Europe to hold the coveted ISO 17020:2012 standard across all indoor and outdoor sports and play areas.

“We know this will give schools, councils and facility management companies greater confidence in knowing who is best placed to carry out their essential inspections.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has worked tirelessly to prevent accidents since 1914 and was the first to introduce a variety of playground inspections and indoor soft play which support the BS EN1176 recommendation of an annual inspection.

Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII) took it one step further by introducing the inspection for Children’s Fully Enclosed Play Equipment (FEPE) and Inflatable Annual inspections.

The advantage of being a UKAS accredited inspector is the accreditation is audited annually and is impartial from all commercial influences. Sportsafe has taken the next step and now brought together Indoor and Outdoor accreditation with the ISO 17020:2012 standard being accredited by UKAS.

UKAS is a non-profit-distributing private company, operated in the public interest as a company limited by guarantee . Its parent organisation is the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy .

Sportsafe and UKAS work together to save schools money on inspections

ISO 17020:2012 accredited providers such as Sportsafe can save schools money by combining indoor and outdoor inspections and passing that saving back to the school. Facilities with both indoor and outdoor equipment can combine their inspections to take place at the same time by the same inspector and save on the travel costs involved in two separate inspection visits by two separate companies.

It also saves clients the time calling out two different companies to ensure their users’ safety and saves administration costs of managing two suppliers. It also saves the PE teacher or Headteacher time having to review two different indoor and outdoor reports and repair recommendations.

Unlike other companies, Sportsafe can quote for, and undertake, any remedial work identified during the inspection themselves, ensuring the work is carried out quickly and correctly.

Combine indoor and outdoor inspections to reduce your school or leisure centres carbon foot print

Finally, combining indoor and outdoor inspections helps save the environment and reduces the carbon footprint.

Sportsafe Inspectors drive on average three times round the world every year, visiting in total 10,000 schools. By combining indoor and outdoor inspections under ISO 17020:2012 this initiative will allow us to halve the carbon footprint of each school’s inspection. This together with the move to hybrid vehicles will hugely reduce the environmental impact of customers’ inspection and repair programs.

Claire Hunt, Sales and Marketing Director, said the changes would see primary schools save on average £150 and secondaries £350 by working with Sportsafe.

She said: “It’s fantastic that Sportsafe customers are actually going to see the difference in terms of inspection quality but also in terms of time, money and environmental savings.”

Further changes Sportsafe has innovated under ISO 17020:2012

ISO 17020:2012 sees all Sportsafe inspectors undergo rigorous training and formal examinations with a set pass rate to ensure the highest of standards.

Sportsafe has also rewritten the inspection manual, with thorough information on how to inspect each piece of apparatus so clients can be assured their equipment is safe for their users.

Mr Bickerstaff, Technical and Quality Manager, said: “Currently, the scope of inspection written in tenders and the afPE handbook is very basic and, in some areas, vague.

“Sportsafe has rewritten the inspection process for all the equipment found in an educational environment. It goes into much more detail on how to inspect apparatus.

“For example, the scope of inspection for a wooden PE bench is usually no more than a few sentences. The new written inspection process for PE benches to be used for this standard is two A4 pages and details the inspection process of each bench component.

“We are really looking forward to the much-needed changes this brings to the industry.”

Sportsafe is based at Eastgates, Moorside, in Colchester, and has offices in Manchester and Scotland.

Employing more than 95 people, it serves more than 12,000 customers across the UK.

To find out more, go to www.sportsafeuk.com

Interview: What changes are Sportsafe Inspectors seeing?

Aaron Owen, 28, is an ISO 17020:2012 trained Inspector and has been with Sportsafe for four years.

He said: “I have noticed a lot of changes since being ISO 17020:2012 trained.

“It’s been great to get the qualifications and to go into inspections in as much detail as we can now.

“We also have that level of detail to hand at all times through our inspection manual. Because we have that much detail now, when we have new people joining Sportsafe and asking questions we can reassure them with thorough answers.

“I’ve had some great responses from customers since we brought ISO 17020:2012 in.

“Previously clients were handed an inspection certificate. But thanks to the new accreditation we instead issue a Health and Safety Certificate once any remedial work has been carried out.

“It’s really helpful to go through the inspection results together in person so the customer completely understands how to make their equipment safe for their users, which is what we all want.

“And clients are finding it really reassuring to know we are there to answer their questions and walk them through the process. It’s all about making sure their users are safe at the end of the day.

“In my opinion we have been at the top of PESSPA inspections for a long time, but this will only help us to go further.

“It’s been an accreditation which is very hard to get and which the industry has really needed. It’s great we can finally offer it.”

RoSPA’s play safety courses are undertaken by company Playsafe Ltd, which is more than 75% owned by RoSPA Playground Management Ltd.

RoSPA Playground Management Ltd is, in turn, controlled by the majority family shareholding of RPII.

RPII, which delivers and sets the standards for examinations, shares directors/nominee directors of The Play Inspection Company. This company controls examination centres and inspection centres used by RPII.

Part of the UKAS accreditation ISO 17020:2012 Sportsafe has achieved audits company structures to ensure any possible commercial conflict is uncovered.

Sportsafe offers installation, service and sales of sports and fitness equipment to more than 12,000 customers across the UK, including private schools, sports centres, care homes and more than 120 county councils and fire, police and NHS authorities.

For interviews and photo opportunities, please contact the marketing team on 01206 795265, marketingdept@sportsafeuk.com

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