What is BS EN 17164 about?
BS EN 17164 discusses climbing/bouldering walls for use in the water area of swimming pools. BS EN 17164 specifies safety requirements for climbing/bouldering walls, which are vertical and/or overhanging towards the water area, for use in the water area of swimming pools for public use in addition to the general safety requirements of EN 13451-1.
It also specifies requirements for the use, operation, and maintenance.
BS EN 17164 is applicable to climbing/bouldering walls in classified swimming pools as specified in EN 15288-1.
Note 1: BS EN 17164 has limited application to water areas which consist of segregated areas of rivers, lakes, or the sea.
Note 2: BS EN 17164 is not applicable to artificial climbing structures according to EN 12572 (all parts) and to inflatable climbing/bouldering walls according to EN ISO 25649-6.
Note 3: BS EN 17164 is not applicable to climbing/bouldering walls in swimming pools for domestic use.
Who is BS EN 17164 for?
BS EN 17164 on climbing/bouldering walls for swimming pools is useful for:
- Designers of climbing/bouldering walls in the water area of swimming pools
- Manufacturers of climbing/bouldering walls in the water area of swimming pools
- Operators of climbing/bouldering walls in the water area of swimming pools
- Waterpark and theme park management
- Swimming pool management
- Facility managers
Why should you use BS EN 17164?
Climbing/bouldering walls for use in the water area are artificial climbing structures that enable climbing above water without rope safeguarding. The climbing process is terminated either by an accidental fall into the water or by an intentional jump or intentional dropping into the water. When specifying the water depths, it is assumed that no more height can be gained from a fall - as opposed to a jump from a diving board - and the splashdown feature is normally a different one.
BS EN 17164 establishes safety requirements and design guidance rules to serve anyone involved with climbing/bouldering walls for use in the water area of public used swimming pools, especially designers, manufacturers, operators, and users, to ensure largely safe products.
BS EN 17164 sets the basic approach, as the consciousness that the use of climbing/bouldering walls usually implies for the users a higher risk level than swimming. Consequently, the use of a climbing/bouldering wall requires a certain degree of self-responsibility in terms of sports equipment. It gives you safety requirements that can be taken into consideration and be fulfilled in order to avoid danger to users as much as possible.
