Jon Ruddock

Jon Ruddock is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology who has years of experience in creating, reviewing and managing leisure industry safety schemes relating to the competence of people and the physical safety of equipment. He is responsible for the certification of numerous leisure sites that cover a raft of activities, such as but not limited to high ropes sites, trampoline parks, theme parks, aquatic sites, soft play and inflatable parks.

He has written national policy guidelines and procedures based upon the health and safety legislation, guidance and best practice in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He is currently responsible for the vetting, selection, auditing and continual monitoring of leisure industry inspection bodies and their inspectors involved in the annual technical inspection of some of the most significant leisure equipment in the UK.

He is a standing member of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), chaired the Fairgrounds Joint Advisory Committee (FJAC), and the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA) Health & Safety Committee. He is also a committee member for the British Standards Institute EN 13814 – Safety of Amusement Devices. He is a contributor to all three working groups for the review of the HSE guidance document Health and Safety Guidance (HSG) 175 – ‘Fairgrounds and amusement parks: guidance on safe practice’.

Prior to his involvement with leisure safety, for 26 years he was an engineering manager and safety leader in the Royal Air Force (RAF). At various times throughout his RAF career, he was responsible for the H&S and engineering management of over 100 personnel. His final appointment in the RAF was as the Chief Air Engineer’s (CAE) Warrant Officer responsible for advising on the strategic risk management, H&S and engineering management of all military aircraft and engineering personnel.