This part of BS EN 1176 specifies general safety requirements for public playground equipment and surfacing.
BS EN 1176-1 recognises the difficulties of addressing safety issues by age criteria alone. The ability to handle risk is based on the individual users' level of skills and not by age. Also children other than the intended age range will almost certainly make use of the playground equipment.
Risk-taking is an essential feature of play provision and of all environments in which children legitimately spend time playing. Play provision aims to offer children the chance to encounter acceptable risks as part of a stimulating, challenging and controlled learning environment. Play provision should aim at managing the balance between the need to offer risk and the need to keep children safe from serious harm. The principles of safety management are applicable both to workplaces in general as well as to play provision.
Respecting the characteristics of children's play and the way children benefit from playing on the playground with regard to development, children need to learn to cope with risk and this may lead to bumps and bruises and even occasionally a broken limb. The aim of this standard is to prevent accidents with a disabling or fatal consequence. It also aims to lessen serious consequences caused by the occasional mishap that inevitably will while children are expanding their level of competence.
BS EN 1176-1 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.
This standard ensures a proper level of safety when playing in, on or around playground equipment. At the same time it also promotes activities and features known to benefit children because they provide valuable experiences that will enable them to cope with situations outside the playground.
BS EN 1176-1 is applicable to playground equipment intended for individual and collective use by children, but excludes adventure playgrounds. It is also applicable to equipment and units installed as children's playground equipment although they are not manufactured as such.
This part of BS EN 1176 specifies the requirements that will protect the child from hazards that he or she may be unable to foresee when using the equipment as intended, or in a manner that can be reasonably anticipated.
