British Parachute Association

The BPA is committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety in the sport.  The BPA's approach to safety management is established as good practice in the sport.

The BPA Operations Manual

Since its foundation in 1961, the BPA has carefully analysed accidents and injuries in sport parachuting.  This long experience has enabled the BPA to build up a detailed knowledge of the risks in the sport.  As risks have been identified and assessed, measures to manage and control the risks have been put in place.  These control measures are set out in the BPA Operations Manual. 

The BPA Operations Manual may therefore be thought of as the outcome of a cumulative and continuing assessment of the risks inherent to, and associated with, sport parachuting.  As techniques of risk assessment become more widely used across many fields of human endeavour, the BPA has an ongoing commitment to develop and promote the role of proactive risk assessment in the sport. 

Competence

The BPA authorises only qualified individuals as competent persons to conduct parachuting activities at BPA Affiliated Clubs, Schools, Centres, Associations or Organisations (Clubs) or in BPA Registered Display Teams.  Such activities are conducted in accordance with the procedures set out in the BPA Operations Manual.  The training and qualification of persons as competent, and the content of the BPA Operations Manual, are regulated by the BPA Council through its Safety and Training Committee, assisted by competent technical staff employed by the BPA.

Managing risk

The BPA has in place a well-established procedure for the sharing and promulgation of safety information and the reporting and collection of information and data for analysis and action.  This enables improvements to be made to control measures, as necessary, on a continuing basis.  As with any action sport, sport parachuting can never be entirely risk-free - see How safe?  Participants in the sport must therefore voluntarily accept an element of risk.  By its regulation of the sport in accordance with this Operations Manual, and by actively promoting a positive safety culture, the BPA assists parachute clubs and display teams to manage risk in sport parachuting to an acceptable level.