Soft Play Health and Safety Templates

The easiest way to create a risk assessment for your soft play centre is by starting with a pre-filled, industry-specific risk assessment template that covers all the common hazards associated with children’s play areas, along with controls to mitigate the risks they pose.

To write a compliant risk assessment from scratch, begin by identifying potential hazards — such as slips, trips, equipment faults, hygiene issues, and fire risks. Then, evaluate who could be harmed and how, decide on suitable control measures, and record your findings. Regular reviews and updates should be carried out to ensure your assessment remains accurate, especially if you make any changes to your layout or equipment. These steps are required under health and safety regulations including the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Our Soft Play Risk Assessment Template is designed to make this process quick and straightforward. It comes pre-filled with detailed, play-centre-specific content to help you identify key risks and implement suitable controls. Simply edit and adapt the document to match your own soft play environment for a professional, compliant result.

For a complete compliance solution, our Soft Play Health and Safety Template Bundle includes everything you need to manage compliance across your business — from risk assessments and fire safety templates to COSHH documents, accident report forms, and staff safety guidance. It’s the all-in-one toolkit for maintaining a safe, compliant, and well-managed soft play centre.

Yes, all soft play centres and indoor play gyms must complete a risk assessment to comply with health and safety laws.

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, every employer and business owner is legally required to assess and manage risks within their premises. For soft play centres, this means identifying potential hazards such as falls, faulty equipment, hygiene risks, fire safety issues, and overcrowding — and putting in place effective control measures to prevent accidents or injuries. A written risk assessment is mandatory if you employ five or more people, but it is strongly recommended for all soft play businesses, as it demonstrates due diligence and helps protect children, staff, and visitors.

The easiest way to complete your assessment is by using our editable Soft Play Risk Assessment Template, pre-filled with detailed, play-centre-specific content to save time and ensure accuracy.

Or, if you want everything you need in one package, our Soft Play Health and Safety Template Bundle includes risk assessments, policies, fire safety forms, accident reports, and staff guidance — all designed to help you stay compliant and maintain a safe, fun environment.

A risk assessment in a soft play centre is a systematic process to identify and evaluate potential hazards that might cause harm to children and staff. It involves analysing the likelihood and potential severity of these risks and determining appropriate measures to mitigate or eliminate them. This process is crucial in ensuring the safety of the play environment, as it helps identify everything from equipment faults to potential hygiene issues.

Our Soft Play Risk Assessment Template is designed to make this process quicker, easier, and fully compliant with health and safety regulations. It comes pre-filled with detailed, industry-specific content tailored to the unique risks found in children’s play centres and play gyms — including falls, hygiene control, fire safety, and equipment maintenance. Simply edit the template to reflect your own site and activities, and you’ll have a professional, ready-to-use risk assessment that helps protect children, staff, and visitors while keeping your business compliant and well-organised.

Equipment in soft play centres requires a tiered approach to inspection and maintenance. Daily checks are crucial to identify and address any immediate hazards like broken equipment or spillages. Weekly inspections are more detailed, focusing on wear and tear and overall safety. Annual inspections are generally conducted by external safety experts and focus on comprehensive safety compliance. This tiered approach ensures that any potential risks are identified and mitigated promptly.

Find our Soft Play Centre Risk Assessment Template here.

Find our Soft Play Centre Health and Safety Template Bundle here.

The responsibility for carrying out risk assessments in a soft play centre lies with the business owner, employer, or person in control of the premises. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, they have a legal duty to identify hazards and take all reasonable steps to protect staff, visitors, and children from harm.

In most cases, the manager or owner will complete the assessment themselves or delegate the task to a competent person — someone with the right knowledge, training, and experience to recognise risks and implement suitable control measures. Some larger play centres may choose to hire external health and safety consultants, although this can be costly for small businesses, with fees often reaching several hundred pounds per day.

To make the process quicker, simpler and more affordable, our Soft Play Risk Assessment Template offers a ready-made solution. It’s pre-filled with soft play–specific content, helping you identify risks, record findings, and assign responsibilities without the expense of hiring a consultant — while still ensuring full compliance with health and safety regulations.

Risk assessments in soft play centres should be treated as an ongoing process rather than a one-off task. Legally, they must be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain up to date and reflect current operations. As a best practice, a full review should be carried out at least once a year, or sooner if there are any significant changes — such as new equipment, alterations to the play layout, staffing changes, or after an accident or near miss. Daily visual checks and weekly inspections are also recommended to identify immediate hazards, ensuring risks are managed before they escalate into safety issues.

Our editable Soft Play Risk Assessment Template makes it easy to keep on top of these reviews. It includes pre-filled content for relevant hazards, control measures, and responsibilities, helping you stay compliant with health and safety regulations without the stress of starting from scratch.

For a more comprehensive approach, our Soft Play Health and Safety Template Bundle provides everything you need to manage compliance across your entire business. Alongside the risk assessment template, it includes fire safety forms, COSHH documents, accident report templates, staff safety guidance, and more — all designed to help you maintain a safe, well-managed, and fully compliant soft play environment.

All accidents and injuries that occur in a soft play gym must be recorded accurately and promptly, in line with health and safety regulations. Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), certain incidents — such as serious injuries or those requiring hospital treatment — must also be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). However, even minor incidents should be logged internally, as these records help identify patterns, highlight potential hazards, and demonstrate that your business is taking reasonable steps to protect children, visitors, and staff.

The best way to document incidents is by using a structured Accident Report Form, which captures key information such as the date, time, location, people involved, and a description of what happened. Our Accident Report Form Template is designed specifically for soft play centres and play gyms, providing an easy-to-use, professional format for recording incidents in full compliance with health and safety standards.

For complete peace of mind, the form is also included within our Soft Play Health and Safety Template Bundle, alongside risk assessments, fire safety forms, COSHH documents, and staff safety guidance — giving you everything you need to manage compliance, prevent future incidents, and maintain a safe environment for children and families.

Given the high risk of germ transmission in environments frequented by children, soft play centres must adhere to strict cleaning and hygiene procedures. This includes daily cleaning of all play equipment and surfaces, with particular attention to high-touch areas. Regular deep cleaning schedules should also be in place to ensure a more thorough sanitation of the entire facility.

Additionally, policies should be established to manage the attendance of sick children, aiming to reduce the spread of contagious illnesses. Play centres should also promote and facilitate good hygiene practices, such as hand washing among children and adults.

Our Soft Play Health and Safety Template Bundle includes all the key documents needed to manage hygiene and infection control safely and efficiently. It features COSHH documents for cleaning chemicals, risk assessments with controls for hygiene and sanitisation, accident report forms, staff safety guidance, and more — all designed to help you meet your legal obligations and maintain high standards of cleanliness. With these professional, ready-to-use templates, you can create a safe, hygienic, and fully compliant soft play environment for children, families, and staff.

Staff working in children's play centres require instruction and where necessary, training that covers various aspects of child safety and care. This includes first aid training to handle any injuries or medical emergencies, training in emergency evacuation procedures, and understanding of child behaviour to manage and supervise children effectively. Regular refresher courses are also important to keep the staff updated on the latest health and safety practices and regulations.

Easily improve compliance in your soft play business with our Soft Play Centre Health and Safety Template Bundle here. — designed to make meeting legal requirements simple.

Fire safety in children’s soft play areas must be managed through a structured and proactive approach, beginning with a thorough fire risk assessment. This assessment identifies potential fire hazards, evaluates who might be at risk, and outlines control measures to reduce the likelihood of a fire and ensure safe evacuation if one occurs. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, every business owner or manager responsible for the premises has a legal duty to carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment.

Essential fire safety measures include keeping fire exits clear and well-marked, maintaining functional smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, and displaying clear evacuation routes. Staff must also be trained in fire safety procedures, including how to use fire equipment and safely guide children and families out of the building in an emergency. Regular fire drills should be carried out to ensure everyone understands the evacuation process. Our Fire Risk Assessment Template is designed to make this process easier, guiding you step by step through identifying hazards, assessing risks, and recording safety actions specific to soft play environments.

Our Soft Play Health and Safety Template Bundle includes a pre-filled Fire Risk Assessment Template, along with policies, accident report forms, COSHH documents, and staff guidance. These ready-to-use resources make it easier to meet fire safety regulations, document your compliance, and keep your soft play centre a safe and reassuring place for children, parents, and staff.

Managing allergies and health conditions in soft play centres requires clear policies, good communication, and well-trained staff. Children may have allergies to foods, materials, or cleaning products, and some may have medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes that require special consideration. To comply with health and safety laws, play centre owners and managers should have procedures in place to identify, monitor, and respond to these risks effectively. This includes gathering relevant health information from parents or guardians when children visit, displaying clear allergen signage in food areas, and ensuring all staff are trained to respond quickly in case of an allergic reaction or medical emergency.

Allergy and health management should be part of your wider health and safety planning, supported by a detailed risk assessment. Our Soft Play Risk Assessment Template includes pre-filled content on allergy-related hazards and control measures to minimise risks — such as preventing cross-contamination, ensuring safe cleaning practices, and keeping first aid provisions readily available.

Soft play centres and play gyms are governed by several regulations, primarily the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which mandates employers to ensure the safety of both employees and anyone affected by their work, including children in play areas. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires employers to conduct thorough risk assessments and take appropriate measures to manage risks. This includes ensuring the safety and regular maintenance of play equipment, training staff in health and safety practices, maintaining high hygiene standards, and implementing effective emergency procedures. These regulations are enforced to create a safe and healthy environment for children to play in.

For a complete compliance solution, our Soft Play Health and Safety Template Bundle includes everything you need to manage compliance across your soft play business — from risk assessments, health and safety policies and fire safety templates to COSHH documents, accident report forms, and staff safety guidance. It’s the all-in-one toolkit for maintaining a safe, compliant, and well-managed soft play centre.