Saturday's terrifying ride for two children playing in an inflatable bounce house blown by the wind high into the air and then into the ocean off Ma'ili could prompt a call to establish safety standards for the popular but largely unregulated industry in Hawai'i.

No one was seriously injured in the freak accident, in which a 2-year-old girl was quickly rescued by a bystander after she landed some 50 yards offshore inside the castle-shaped bounce house after it broke loose. A 5-year-old boy fell out of the inflatable as it was airborne, but also escaped injury.

Industry operators say inflatable play platforms — from bounce houses to slides to obstacle courses — are generally safe as toys go. But mishaps, including some similar to what happened in Ma'ili, have multiplied in recent years nationally. A few Mainland cases have involved fatalities.

Many of the injuries are tied to falling in or near the apparatus, but high wind and faulty setup are among chief safety concerns in the business, according to operators.

"It doesn't surprise me, but at the same time I'm shocked and horrified that it happened," Morgan Hill, a Hawai'i-based manufacturer of inflatable rides, said about the Ma'ili incident. "An accident like this will more than likely rattle some cages."

Nationally, inflatable rides involved an estimated 4,900 injuries in 2004, according to the most recent analysis by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The commission reported four fatalities from such rides between 2002 and 2005, including two falls from slides, one fall from an inflatable climbing wall and one fatality from a 21-year-old who broke his neck jumping in a bounce apparatus.

Because of the rising use of inflatables, which in Hawai'i are enjoyed by hundreds of children every weekend in backyards and beach parks, more attention should be paid to safety, some industry advocates say.

Hill, who has explored establishing safety standards and training certification for inflatable ride companies locally, said the Ma'ili accident may help bring some regulation to a business in which many operators are uninsured and follow no established standard for safety.

The International Inflatable Products and Games Association has pursued standards and certification for owners, operators and manufacturers since it was established in 2002, but has yet to realize that goal.

As a result, rental firms follow various safety procedures that can leave consumers making unknowing choices about the safety of inflatable ride rentals.

Hill, owner of Pacific Inflatables, estimates that there are 60 to 70 inflatable ride rental operators on O'ahu ranging from well-established companies to side-job proprietors attracted to the business by huge demand and low start-up costs.

Some rental operators not only deliver and set up equipment, but also supervise its use. Other firms may only deliver and set up. Still others leave setup to the consumer after a briefing on safety instructions that customers typically have to read and sign. Inflatable rides also can be bought in stores by consumers.

It was not publicly known whether the bounce house involved in Saturday's accident was store-bought or a rental. Individuals tied to the matter could not be reached yesterday.

Ivan Slade, owner of Fun To Jump on the Big Island, said his five-year-old company always sets up the equipment and provides an attendant to supervise use.

"That's the way to go," he said. "You can enjoy your party without having to watch the kids."

But Slade said some rental firms compete on price by offering do-it-yourself setup and operation.

Companies that carry liability insurance tend to have higher standards for insuring safety, according to Slade. Insurance is also required if the equipment is to be used on county or state property such as beach parks, said Hill, who operated one of O'ahu's largest inflatable ride rental firms, Jump Hawaii, before switching to manufacturing the rides.

Hill said Jump Hawaii at its peak would provide 30 to 50 rentals a weekend, and that accidents were rare. He said the worst he heard was a broken arm and a lost tooth from jumpers.

But strong wind is a major caution. Rental firms advise users not to use the equipment in winds over 20 mph.

In Saturday's case, witnesses reported a small but powerful whirlwind that swept the bounce house off the ground to around 20 feet or more in the air. The inflatable bounced on the sand once and then into the ocean.

Operators said a strong wind surge could conceivably uproot a properly secured bounce house. But improper setup or a lack of safety standards have been cited as the cause in some cases, including one in Oklahoma that involved an inflatable bounce house that was hit by a gust of wind and tumbled across a highway with three children inside.

One child was injured seriously in the 2004 incident in Moore, Okla. According to Oklahoma safety officials, an unregistered rental company improperly secured the equipment using four eight-inch-long stakes similar to tent stakes.

Hill of Pacific Inflatables said the variety of stakes that come with some equipment sometimes isn't suitable for sand or hard ground. Slade said sandbags should be used in addition to stakes in loose ground.

"Even if you did everything right, it's possible to rip the stakes up," Hill said. "You can only do as much as you can do."

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com.