Section 139a.27. Bungee cord specifications

(a) The site operator shall insure that the bungee cords used at the bungee jumping facility are designed and tested to perform within the prescribed limits of stretch and load as stated in this section. The cord shall be made from natural or synthetic rubber or blends thereof. The material used in the construction of the cord shall be of a type that the extended length is consistent each time the same load is applied.

(b) The maximum G-force allowable on a jumper using waist and chest harness is 4 1/2 G’s. The maximum G-force allowable on a jumper using an ankle harness is 3 1/2 G’s.

(c) The site operator shall insure that the minimum factor of safety (FS) for any cord configuration attached to a jumper is at least five. This means that the maximum dynamic load possible for a jumper to exert on a bungee cord configuration may not be greater than 20% of the cord configuration’s minimum breaking strength.

(d) A site operator shall insure that the design, manufacturing and testing of the bungee cords used at the operator’s bungee jumping operation meet the following specifications:

(1) In a single cord system, the binding shall hold the cord threads in the designed positions. The binding shall have the same characteristics as the cord itself. In a multiple cord system, the cord shall be bound together in a manner to prevent potential jumper entanglement. The bindings may not damage or effect the performance of the cords.

(2) The bungee cords shall be designed and tested to perform within the prescribed limits of the maximum G force and factor of safety as stated.

(3) A load verses elongation curve resulting from the test in paragraph (2) shall be used to calculate the maximum G force and factor of safety of the corresponding lot of bungee cords tested. These test results shall be readily available to the Department upon request.

(4) The end connections shall have a minimum safety factor of five times maximum dynamic load for that bungee cord configuration. End connections shall be of size and shape to allow easy attachment to the jumper harnesses and to the rigging. On multiple cord systems, each cord shall meet its own independent end connection. On multiple cord systems, end attachment points shall be bound together in a protective sheath that allows the individual ends to move with respect to each other.

(e) A site operator shall insure that bungee cord manufacturers perform conclusive minimum break strength testing on a representative section of all manufactured bungee cords. The bungee cord samples shall have been constructed using the manufacturer’s standard methods which includes bungee cord loop end connections that meet the specifications in subsection (d)(4). The tests shall be performed or supervised by an independent certified testing authority or an independent licensed professional engineer. The testing authority shall determine the ultimate tensile strength of each test specimen and use the lowest failure value recorded as the ultimate tensile strength value for the corresponding lot of bungee cords tested. The ultimate tensile strength is reached when the applied load reaches a maximum before failure. Test results shall be readily available to the Department upon request.