Playground Equipment Safety Regulations:

Design of School/Pub Playground Equipment:

Residential Play Equipment must comply with the EN71 British product safety standard. However, all Commercial Playground Equipment must comply with the EN1176 British product standard, which has more stringent requirements.

These requirements include the following aspects which are built into the design of all of our commercial playground equipment:

• Handrails, Guardrails and Barriers
• Ropes
• Handgrips
• Gaps and Openings
• Playground Fall Areas
• Playground Slides
• Roofs
• Playground Swings
• Rockers
• Conflicting Playground Zones
• Playground Safety Surfacing
• Safety Surface Options
• Technical Support
• Inspection Procedures
• Remedial Action
  
  Handrails, Guardrails and Barriers:

• Handrails are included at a height of between 600 and 850mm above the height of the climbing frame platform
• For playground equipment designed to be accessible to all ages, guardrails are fitted around any platform, which is more than 600mm off the ground
• For playground equipment designed to be accessible to children over the age of 3 only, barriers are fitted around any platform which is more than 2m off the ground. These barriers are at least 700mm in height and do not incorporate horizontal bars which can be used for climbing

Ropes:

• Climbing ropes which are fixed at both ends of the climbing frame have a diameter of between 18mm and 45mm to allow for gripping
• Swing ropes which are fixed at one end only, have a diameter of between 25mm and 45mm
• Cargo nets with steel rope in a choice of colours for some playground equipment
• Ropes on bridges and gangplanks are replaced with steel rope or chains

Handgrips:

• Have a diameter of between 16 and 45mm where children need to grip the entire circumference
• Are a maximum of 60mm wide, where children need only to be able to grasp the support

Gaps and Openings:

• All gaps in the playground equipment which is more than 600mm off the ground or above a platform are less than 89mm or more than 230mm wide to avoid head or neck entrapment
• Where playground equipment is not designed for access by children under the age of 3, gaps are less than 120mm and more than 230mm wide
• Any other holes more than 1.2m off the ground are less than 8mm or more than 25mm in diameter to avoid fingers being trapped
• All tunnels are designed to allow children to pass through without risk of getting stuck
• All slides, poles and roofs are designed to avoid clothing being caught

Playground Fall Areas:

• Playground Equipment does not allow children to fall from a height greater than 3m
• There is a free falling space of at least 1.5m in distance from any raised piece of playground equipment

Playground Slides:

• Have an initial flat section of at least 350mm or are attached to a platform to allow children to prepare for sliding
• The slope of our playground slides is no more than 60 degrees at any one point and no more than 40 degrees overall
• All slides which start above 1m off the ground are fitted with a rail across the opening
• Slides have a run out section in proportion to their overall length.
• Our slides are made from one single piece of material to avoid joints
• They have higher sides than residential slides
• The bottom is anchored to the ground
• They are made to be stronger than residential slides

Roofs:

• Vinyl tent tops are not used
• A wooden roof is offered instead
• Some equipment also offers coloured PE Pyramid and Pitch roof options

Playground Swings:

• All playground swing seats are more than 350mm off the ground (more than 400mm for tyre swings)
• All seats are tested for the effect of impact
• Swings have increased spacing between each swing compared to residential playground equipment
• All playground swings are load tested to ensure they carry the required weight without affecting the swing beam or swing attachments
• There is a maximum of 2 swings per swing bay
• Cradle seats for young children are sited in a separate swing bay from flat seats designed for use by older children

Rockers:

• The rocking motion is designed to slow progressively to prevent sudden stopping or change in direction of the rocking
• Rockers have a minimum ground clearance of 230mm
• They include fixed hand supports for each user
• They have a maximum fall height of 1.5m when in use and 1m when at rest
• They are at a maximum angle of 20 degrees when in use

Conflicting Playground Zones:

• More than 1m distance is allowed between components which are to be stood on or sat on
• More than 500m space is allowed between components which are designed for children to hang from
• Playground Equipment allows for a standing height of at least 1.8m, a sitting height of 1.5m and an hanging height of 2.1m

Playground Safety Surfacing:

All playground safety surfacing sited underneath commercial playground equipment must comply with the EN1177 British standard. This states that:

• Playground Safety surfacing Is required under all commercial playground equipment to give some cushioning.
• Where children can fall from a height of 600mm or more, the surfacing must have impact attenuating properties and must be approved for the fall height required
• Playground Surfacing must extend to a minimum of 1.5m all around the playground equipment
• This fall area should increase to a maximum of 2.5m for playground equipment where the fall height is the maximum 3m

Safety Surfacing Options:

Grass Mats: - These are very economical and can be laid onto grass. They allow the grass to grow through and can be laid even though the ground is not completely level.

Playbark: - A natural, environmentally friendly, easy to lay surfacing option. The ground need not be completely level. It is economical and can be ordered for small areas

Rubber Tiles: - Available in a choice of colours. Require LEVEL ground.

Wet Pour: - Ideal for large playground areas where a variety of equipment is to be sited

The table below shows the suitability of each surface for different fall heights from play equipment. It also gives a relative cost comparison.

Technical Support:

At Big Game Hunters, we provide the following information with your commercial playground equipment.

• Certification of compliance with EN1176
• Technical information
• Recommended installation procedures
• Recommended inspection and maintenance requirements

Inspection Procedures:

We recommend the following inspection procedures are carried out by all owners of commercial playground equipment:

• A regular visual inspection is carried out for all commercial playground equipment. This should be daily for equipment in frequent use or equipment which can be subject to vandalism or severe weather conditions.
• An operational inspection is carried out every 1 – 3 months. This should check for stability and wear and tear.
• An annual inspection is carried out every 12 months. This should be carried out by a competent inspector and should check the overall safety of the playground equipment.

Remedial Action:

Any serious safety issues highlighted by inspections should be corrected immediately. If this is not possible, equipment should be taken out of use.

All inspections should be documented along with any actions taken in the light of these inspections.

All inspection records should be kept along with the original documentation supplied with the playground equipment.