Safety Regulations

There is a set of UNI governing the general safety requirements and test methods related to the playgrounds. The following paragraphs summarize the main points of the law, in relation to our production activities.

Brief summary of the UNI EN 1176-1 2003 on equipment for playgrounds, general safety requirements and test methods

This rule specifies the general safety requirements of equipment for playgrounds.

1176-1.4 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

The materials
should be manufactured in a workmanlike manner, paying particular attention to the potential toxic hazards of surface coatings.

Wood (Parts designed so as to allow the flow of water, to avoid stagnation; in the case of contact with the ground it must be prepared for methods of protecting the integrity of the material; wood treated non-toxic must be chosen, which does not splinter or come apart easily).
Metals (metal parts must withstand the weather and different weather conditions; metals that produce toxic oxides, heaving themselves or disintegrate, must be protected with a not toxic coating)

Dangerous substances, that can damage the health of those who use the equipment, must not be used.

Design
The size and the level of difficulty of the equipment should also be suitable for the intended users or for the age group it is destined to. Some tests of structural integrity, the structure must resist to, must therefore be made taking into account the permanent and variable loads.

Protection against falls
Equipment must be designed to enable adults to assist children who are inside.

The tunnel and the houses cannot have an internal distance greater than 2000 mm from a point of entry, and may not have dimensions of less than 500 mm.
Adequate pavement must also be provided to absorb a possible fall.

Handrails, railings and balustrades have to start at the lowest point of the ramp.

Handrails must not be less than 600 mm or more than 850 mm above the
floor area.
Railings if the equipment is not accessible to children inf. 36 months, need a fence while the platform is 1000 mm to 2000 mm above the game plan.
Balustrades must be provided for age less than 36 months when the floor area is more than 600 mm above the game plan. In this case the surface must be at least 700 mm. When the surface of a footrest is located at more than 600 mm above the floor of the game, it must provide a surface to absorb the impact.

Requirements related to the total handle. The cross section of any support designed to be grasped completely needs to have a size between 16 mm and 45 mm in any direction.

Requirements related to the partial handle. The cross section of any support which must be grasped
mostly, must have a width not greater than 60 mm

The threads of the bolts protruding within any accessible part of the equipment should always be covered, such as the bolts round head. The nuts and bolts that protrude more than 8 mm should not have smear. All of the welds must be smooth.

Choosing the materials, the manufacturer should take into account the dangers of entrapment that can occur due to the deformation of the material during its use, and the risks involved for the entrapment of clothing. (In particular the danger of strangulation).

Surfaces designed to run or walk should not have openings that allow to trap feet or legs, in the same way tubes open at the ends must not be placed, openings where fingers can be trapped. Each lock must not be removed without tools; openings which change in size during their use must ensure a minimum dimension of 12 mm in any direction.

Zones/minimun space
The free space includes:

the space occupied by the equipment
any free space
space of fall

Within the free space duplication of free spaces or fall must not be presented and the occupied surface must not be crossed by driveways or any crossing of the playing area.

The largeness of the fall space must be at least 1.5m from the base of the equipment.
The free fall height should not be greater than 3 m and to follow the regulations for the safety of the game, the space of the drop shall be provided with 30 cm of gravel, pavement or absorbing material of trauma certificate.

Access devices
Ladders (inclination from 60 ° to 90 ° from the horizontal): The rungs and steps must not rotate and must all be at the same distance, the free spaces between one step and the other must comply with the requirements for the entrapment of the head and the components of the structure must not be dismantled or moved.

Stairs (slope from 15 ° to 60 ° from the horizontal): everything mentioned for the ladders shall also be valid for the stairs; The slope must be constant and the tread of 140mm minimum.
The front of each tread must be placed vertically above or extended along the back of the tread below so that the steps, viewed from above, do not show any visible space. At the start of the ramp you need to place material absorbing shock (see the Catalogue).

Perishable components
The components subject to wear or designed to be renewed during the life of the equipment, for example, bearings and couplings must be able to be replaced and require annual specialized maintenance.

Ropes
Fixed at the two ends: The climbing ropes must be anchored at both ends and the total amplitude of oscillation must not be higher than 20% of the distance between the point of suspension and the level of the surface.
The diameter of the strings must be between 18 mm and 45 mm.

Chains
Chains for equipment for playgrounds must comply with ISO 1834 and must have a maximum size of 8.6 mm in all directions except for connecting points where the maximum size can be larger than 12mm or less than 8, 6 mm.

Foundation
The foundation must be designed so as not to be a danger (tripping, impact).
In case of surfaces with bulk mobile material, we must make sure that the pedestals, bases and the fastening elements on the equipment are situated at a safe depth from the horizontal plane of the game.

Information supplied by the manufacturer/supplier
Read this first
The manufacturer/supplier must provide information related to the safety of the installation before accepting the order, for example with a technical game.
This must include at least the following information, where they are applicable:

The minimum space;
The requirements of the surface (including the height of free fall);
The total size of the biggest part/parts;
The age at which the equipment is intended;
the availability of spare parts;
certification of conformity to standards;

Information referring to the installation
The manufacturer / supplier must provide the necessary instructions for proper assembly, installation and positioning of the equipment.
This information must include the following elements:

The requirements related to the minimum space and at the safety distance;
The architectural space required to install the equipment item;
The guidance, when necessary, with respect to the sun and wind;
Details of the foundations necessary under normal conditions,
Anchorage to the ground and the design and location of foundations (with a warning about the precautions to be taken in the event of abnormal conditions);
The specific instructions in the case a particular configuration of the ground for safe operation, for example a height of fall is necessary;
The need for coating or special treatment.

The instructions must specify the equipment or its components’ frequency should be inspected or maintained and shall include, where appropriate, information on the following:

Periodically visual inspection;
Operational Inspection; This should be performed with frequency from 1 to 3 months, or according to the directions supplied by the manufacturer. Particular attention should be given to the parties sealed permanently.
Annual inspection periodically executed by those who have a license for maintainers.

UNI EN 1176-2 2003

additional specific safety requirements and test methods for swings

This rule specifies additional requirements to EN 1176-1 for safety of swings intended to be permanently installed and used by children.

The minimum distance in the rest position of the seat of the seesaw in the lower part must be 350mm. For tire seats, the minimum distance from the ground to the rest position should be at least 400mm.
The swings with more suspension points must be of the same type, you cannot match such a swing to the basket with a classical seat.
The landing area of the swing must be equipped with anti-shock material.

UNI EN 1176-3 2003

additional specific safety requirements and test methods for slides

The slides must meet the prerequisites of EN 1176-1 only if they are not modified by this law.

For free slides the maximum vertical height that the first steps can reach with no change of direction or bend with a minimum length of the means of access, should be 2.5m.

Each slide must have a starting area of at least 350 mm long. The starting area must have a downward slope with a tolerance of 0 ° to 5 ° in the direction of the length of the chute, with the measurement taken at the level of the axis of the start zone.

The width of the starting zone must be equal to that of the sliding-contact area.

The upper part of the protection must be in continuous and must be extended from the beginning of the start area to the upper edge of the side protection of the slipping area.

All of the slides combined with the free fall height greater than 1m, an opening access with a transverse bar must be provided. The height of the bar must be between 700mm and 900mm.

The closed parts of the tunnel slides should have a height and a minimum width of 750mm internal, when the measurement is made perpendicular to the surface of the slide.

All areas of the fall such as the arrival of the chute, the start of scale and all those points where the 'user is more likely to fall are equipped with anti-shock material to cushion the fall.

UNI EN 1176-4 2003

additional specific safety requirements and test methods for cableways

The cable cars must meet the prerequisites of EN 1176-1 only if they are not modified by this law.

The carriage of the cable car must be protected against any leakage from its regular position. It must be prevented from an accidental access to the pulleys (for example, coating them).
On the same cable must be only a cart.

For cable suspended cars, the suspension element has to be installed at a distance from the ground of at least 2 m above the travel zine, when measured without load is centrally located. The suspension element must be: flexible and must have a distance from the ground of at least 400mm.

For the suspension cable car, to which users are hung with his hands, when the equipment is used properly, the handle must not belong to the closed type.

The seats must be designed so that the user can abandon them at any time.
The maximum speed of the truck must not exceed 7 m/s (25,2km/h).

UNI EN 1176-5 2003

additional specific safety requirements and test methods for carousels

The rides must meet the prerequisites of EN 1176-1 only if they are not modified by this law.

The maximum free height of fall must not be greater than 1000mm at any point.

The free space must be at least 2000mm on the side of the carousel and at least 2000mm for the space for the head above the maximum height of the carousel.

When the rides are installed, the finished level of the ground beneath the turntables must be at the same level as that of the surface of attenuation of impact in the free space on the side of the carousel.

The support axis of the carousel must not be tilted at an angle greater than 5 ° to the vertical.

The maximum speed that the carousel can reach in normal conditions or under reasonably foreseeable conditions of use must not be greater than 5 m/s(18 km/h).

UNI EN 1176-6 2003

additional specific safety requirements and test methods for oscillating equipment

Recreational oscillating must meet the prerequisites of EN 1176-1 only if they are not modified by this law.

The height of free fall when measured in extreme position of movement, the center of the seat / seat must have a maximum height in compliance with EN 1176-1.

The movement of the tool is to be gradually slowed down towards the end of the same so that they can experience sudden stops or sudden reversals of motion.

For equipment with a ground distance of 230 mm for each seat, a footrest must be provided. The footrest must be firmly secured so that they cannot rotate without the aid of a tool.

Each seat must be equipped with handle for each intended use. They must be securely fixed so that they cannot rotate without the aid of a tool. The diameter of the handles must be between 16mm and 45mm.

The edges of the main shape shall be rounded up to a radius of at least 20mm.

The space of drop must be at least 1000mm and the blow of the fall must be cushioned by shock-resistant material.

UNI EN 1176-7 1999

installation guide, inspection, maintenance and use

The equipment and components must be subjected to inspections and maintenance according to the manufacturer's instructions at a rate not less than that indicated by the manufacturer.

The equipment and components must must be subjected to inspections and maintenance according to the following division:

Ordinary visual inspection. This type of inspection enables you to identify the risks that may be due to vandalism, use or atmospheric effects.
Operational inspection. This type of operation is more specific and consists of checking the stability of the various games and should be done every 1-3 months.
Main Annual Inspection. It is performed at intervals of not less than 12 months, to assess the overall level of safety of the equipment, foundations and surfaces.

To avoid accidents, the owner or the manager should make sure that for each area of the game an adequate program of inspections is established and maintained, which should take into account local conditions and the manufacturer's instructions, which may affect the frequency of inspections. If you notice serious flaws that jeopardize the safety, these should be corrected with no delay. If this is not possible, the equipment should be rendered unusable.

The staff performing tasks in the field of security management, such as inspection, repair and maintenance, should be competent.
Staff should be fully informed about their duties, responsibilities and skills.

Certain particular jobs, such as welding of parts of a structure, which is believed to affect the safety of the game, should only be performed by qualified professionals in the industry.

The actions in the field of security management must be documented.
Documents relating to an area of the game should include:

A certificate of inspection and testing;
instructions for operation, if applicable;
records of the operator, for example "booklet relations";
The specific design documents and offer