Section 139a.2. Definitions

The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

Act—The Amusement Ride Inspection Act (4 P. S. § § 401—418).

Air bag—A device which cradles the body using an air release breather system to dissipate the energy due to a fall, thereby allowing the jumper to land without an abrupt stop or bounce.

Anti-two-blocking device—A positive acting device which prevents contact between the load block or fall ball and the boom tip.

Approved operating site—The area including the preparation area, the jump space, the landing area and the recovery area as reflected on the site plan drawings submitted by the operator under § 139a.21(d) (relating to registration of bungee jumping operations) and as approved by the Department in conjunction with the registration of a bungee jumping operation.

Binding of cord—Material used to hold the bungee cord threads in place.

Bungee catapulting—The action by which the jumper is held on the ground while the bungee cord is stretched. When the jumper is released, the jumper is propelled upwards.

Bungee cord or cord—The elastic rope to which the jumper is attached. It expands and contracts and thus produces the bouncing action.

Bungee jumping—The action by which a jumper free falls from a height and the descent is limited by attachment to the bungee cord.

Bungee jumping operation—An operating site at which bungee jumping is conducted.

Carabiner—A shaped metal or alloy device used to connect sections of the jump rigging, equipment or safety gear.

Controlled load lowering—A system or device on the power train, other than the load hoist brake, which can regulate the rate of speed at which the hoist mechanism lowers its load.

Department—The Department of Agriculture of the Commonwealth.

Dynamic load—The load placed on the rigging and attachments by the initial free fall of the jumper and the bouncing movements of the jumper.

Equipment—Each component which is utilized in a bungee jumping operation, including power or manually operated devices to raise, lower and hold loads.

Fence—A permanent or temporary structure designed and constructed to restrict people, animals and objects from entering the jump area.

Incident—An event that does or could result in injury to a person, damage to equipment, or the interruption or stopping of a bungee jumping operation.

Jump area—The ground level area of the jump space.

Jump direction—The direction in which a jumper jumps upon leaving the platform from the jump point. Jump direction is unaffected by whether the jumper faces forward, backward or sideways as he jumps.

Jumper—The person who, while attached to a bungee cord, falls or jumps from a platform or structure.

Jumper weight—The weight of the jumper only.

Jump harness—An assembly to be worn by a jumper, which is attached to a bungee cord.

Jump height—The distance from the jump point to the position on the ground where an object dropped from the jump point would impact, exclusive of an air bag or other impediment.

Jump master—A person who has the responsibility for the bungee jumping operation and who takes a jumper through the final stages to the actual jump or release.

Jump point—The location on the platform from which the jumper leaves the platform.

Jump space—A cylinder-shaped volume, the center line of which extends downward from the jump point along the line of the jump height a distance equal to or greater than the maximum system length, plus an additional length of at least 30 feet of safety space to the highest point of the air bag (with respect to jumps over land) or to the water surface (with respect to jumps over water), and extending laterally in all directions from the line of the jump height a distance equal to at least 50% of the maximum system length, plus an additional safety space of at least 20% of the maximum system length.

Jump weight—The weight of the jumper and the jump harness.

Landing area—The surface area on which the jumper is landed. If a lifting device moves the jumper so that landing occurs away from the jump area, the area covered by the movement of the lifting device shall be considered part of the landing area.

Live boom—A boom in which lowering is controlled by a brake without aid from other lowering retarding devices.

Loaded length—The length of the bungee cord when extended to its fullest designed length.

Lowering system—Manual or mechanical equipment capable of lowering a jumper to the designated landing area.

Maximum system length—The maximum extended length of a bungee cord system, including static line length.

Mechanically powered lowering system—A system which utilizes a machine, rather than a human or other power source, to lower the jumper to the landing area.

Mobile platform—An apparatus attached to a lifting device used to lift a jumper to jumping position, and from which the jumper then falls or jumps.

Permanent platform—The apparatus attached to a structure from which a jumper falls or jumps.

Platform or jump platform—A mobile or permanent platform.

Preparation area—The area where the jumper is registered, weighed, marked with his weight, notified of potential risks and otherwise prepared for jumping. The preparation area shall be separate from the jump area.

Qualified inspector—A person certified by the Department who, by education, training or experience is knowledgeable with regard to amusement ride operating manuals and the psychological effects each ride has upon a passenger. The person shall also be experienced in the erection and dismantling of amusement rides and shall be familiar with the specific equipment used by that particular operator.

Recovery area—An area next to the landing area, where the jumper may recover from the jump before exiting the bungee jump operation site.

Rigging system—The bungee cord plus any combination of components that connect the jumper through the bungee cord to an attachment point on the structure, lifting device or permanent platform.

Rigging system attachment point—A device on the structure, lifting device or permanent platform to which the rigging system is connected.

Safety belt—An assembly to be worn by all persons on a mobile or permanent platform designed to be attached to an anchor point by a safety line and to prevent persons from falling.

Safety hook—A hook with a latch to prevent rigging or loads from accidentally slipping off the hook.

Safety line—A line used to connect a safety harness or belt to an anchor point.

Sandbagging—The practice of loading excess weight to a jumper intending to release the excess weight at the bottom of the jump, thus gaining extra momentum on the rebound.

Site operating manual—The document containing the procedures and forms for the operation of bungee jumping activities and equipment.

Site operator or operator—A person who owns or operates a bungee jumping operation.

Structure—A permanent or temporary tower or similar erection used for bungee jumping.

Tandem jumping—The practice of two or more people harnessed together while jumping or falling simultaneously from the same jump platform.

Two-block damage prevention feature—A system which deactivates the hoisting action of a crane before damage occurs in the event of contact between the load block or fall ball and the boom tip.

Unloaded length—The length of the bungee cord lying on a horizontal flat surface without load or stress applied.