This part of EN 1176 specifies general safety requirements for permanently installed public playground
equipment and surfacing. Additional safety requirements for specific pieces of playground equipment
are specified in subsequent parts of this standard.
This part of EN 1176 covers playground equipment for all children. It has been prepared with full
recognition of the need for supervision of young children and of less able or less competent children.
The purpose of this part of EN 1176 is to ensure a proper level of safety when playing in, on or around
playground equipment, and at the same time to promote activities and features known to benefit
children because they provide valuable experiences that will enable them to cope with situations
outside the playground.
This part of EN 1176 is applicable to playground equipment intended for individual and collective use
by children. It is also applicable to equipment and units installed as children's playground equipment
although they are not manufactured as such, but exclude those items defined as toys in EN 71 and the
Toys Safety Directive.
It is not applicable to adventure playgrounds with the exception of those items which have been
commercially sourced.
NOTE
Adventure playgrounds are fenced, secured playgrounds, run and staffed in accordance with the
widely accepted principles that encourage children's development and often use self-built equipment.
This part of EN 1176 specifies the requirements that will protect the child from hazards that they might
be unable to foresee when using the equipment as intended, or in a manner that can be reasonably
anticipated.
The use of electricity in play equipment, either as a play activity or as a motive force, is outside the
scope of this standard. The attention of users is drawn to European and local national standards and
regulations which are to be complied with when using electricity.
Play equipment placed in water and where water can be seen as impact attenuating surfacing is not
fully covered by this standard and additional risks are associated with wet environments.
The risk of exposure to excessive levels of UV radiation is not covered in this standard.