(A) The bungee cord must be designed and tested to perform within prescribed limits of stretch and load as stated in this chapter.

(B) The cord must be made from natural or synthetic rubber or blends thereof that may be of various dimensions.

(C) The materials used in the construction of the cord must be such that the stretched length is consistent each time the same loading is applied.

(D) For cord binding the following requirements apply:

(1) the binding must hold the cord threads together in their designed positions;

(2) the binding material must have characteristics or specifications similar to those of the bungee cord material;

(3) the cord bindings must be intact;

(4) where bindings break during a day's operation, the cord must be withdrawn from use until the bindings are replaced.

(E) The following requirements apply to bungee cords:

(1) the cord must stretch in the jump to at least 2.5 times its unloaded length in its designed jumper weight range;

(2) the unloaded length of the system must be less than half the designed extended length;

(3) with respect to maximum loaded length, the operating length of a bungee cord at its maximum designed dynamic load must not exceed four times its unloaded length.

(F) With respect to bungee cord end attachment, each end of the cord must have an end attachment to connect the cord to the lowering system and the jumper. The end attachments must be certified by the manufacturer to be of sufficient size and shape to allow easy attachment to the jumper harness and to the lowering system and have a minimum breaking load of at least four thousand four hundred pounds.

(G) With respect to "maximum cord life", the maximum allowable life of the cord must not exceed one-fourth the tested number of extensions or three hundred jumps, whichever is lower.

(H) A cord and its nonmetallic connectors must be immediately withdrawn from use when any of the following occurs:

(1) the cord reaches its maximum cord life as defined in subsection (F) of this section;

(2) exposure to daylight exceeds two hundred fifty hours;

(3) the cord has been in existence for a period of six months from the date of manufacture;

(4) the cord material reaches the manufacturer's recommended life span or two hundred days, whichever is less;

(5) notwithstanding the cord manufacturer's stated maximum cord life, whenever there is evidence of threads exhibiting wear, such as bunched threads, uneven tension between threads, or thread bands;

(6) when the cord comes into contact with solvents or corrosive or abrasive substances.

(I) A cord withdrawn from use must be destroyed. The bungee cord is considered to be destroyed when it is cut into lengths of less than three feet.

(J) The owner must ensure that a bumper is used to cover the end of the bungee cord and all connecting straps and devices where attached to the jumper. The bumper must be at least six inches in diameter and five feet in length. The bumper must be fastened in such a manner so as to prevent its slipping up and down the bungee cord.

(K) All bungee cords used in bungee jumping operations must be designed as to thickness and length for the height of the jump so as to prevent the looping of the cord around any part of the jumper's body during a jump.

(L) Each cord must have a permanent serial number. A record detailing the serial number of the cord used for each jumper must be retained by the owner for a period of at least three years.

(M)(1) Each manufacturer desiring to utilize a new design of bungee cord must submit to a professional mechanical engineer for testing one bungee cord which has been constructed using the standard method of manufacture, including the bungee and all attachments, and two three-foot lengths of bungee cord with end attachments to the same specification. Specifications for each cord must also be submitted to the engineer and shall include:

(a) the type of material used in the manufacture of the cord;

(b) thread specifications, including three hundred percent elongation, tensile strength, and elongation at breaking point;

(c) dimensions and number of threads in a cross section of the cord;

(d) method of construction;

(e) method of binding;

(f) jumper weight range for size of cord submitted for testing to produce the extension from 2.5 times to a maximum of four times the unloaded length of the cord;

(g) operational range of dynamic loadings.

(2) The engineer must test the bungee cord and certify that the cord meets the cord specifications as submitted. The full length cord must be subjected to at least three repeat tests for loading versus extension in order to establish consistency of extension within the cord range of loading. The full length cord must be subjected to a loading of five times the maximum weight of jumper on that particular cord for a period greater than five minutes and then checked for signs of thread breakage or other deterioration. This procedure must establish a minimum safety factor of 5.

(3) The engineer must carry out a cycle frequency test until the load at three hundred percent extension or four times unloaded length reduces to less than the maximum load.

(4) Upon completion of this required testing, the engineer must destroy the full length cord.

(5) For purposes of this section, a new design means:

(a) a change in bungee thread specifications that affects the performance of the bungee threads or cord;

(b) a change in the manufacturing methods or equipment.

HISTORY: 1994 Act No. 408, Section 15, eff 60 days after May 24, 1994.