Certification of play areas and playgrounds
Many of the manufacturers certify their product, evaluate the product and that product may be safe in the factory, but when it is installed in a playground its properties can change, because it may have been installed incorrectly, perhaps the safety areas are not correct, there may be holes or openings that can give rise to some manner of entrapment, and so on.
As a consequence of this, it is vital to inspect and certify playgrounds in order to reduce risks, and in the event of an accident, doing so also makes it possible to demonstrate that the playground is being managed correctly. This implies adequate maintenance and inspections, in order to be able to maintain at least the same safety features that the playground had when it was installed. The certification of playgrounds helps those responsible for them to ensure they are controlled and managed correctly, and that they are able to offer the user a “safe” space.
Play areas and playgrounds must be certified annually, as long as the conditions of the play areas have not been modified, i.e. no fundamental parts of the playground equipment, surfaces, etc. have been replaced. We are an inspection entity accredited by the ENAC, we have skilled personnel, with considerable experience and qualified under the accreditation guidelines to inspect and certify all play areas used primarily by children.
The EN 1176 standard and its corresponding parts provide us with a guide to basic safety requirements in order to evaluate our play areas. In addition to this standard, we have experience, training and skills in all matters related to children and their environment.
That is why our inspectors have everything that is required to evaluate and issue a certificate of conformity for a recreational area or playground.
Services related to the certification of playgrounds
We are an entity that is accredited by ENAC to inspect and certify children’s playgrounds, in accordance with applicable European standards and applicable Autonomous Community Decrees and national standards. We inspect playgrounds in accordance with the following standards:
- EN 1176-1 “Playground Equipment and Surfacing. Part 1: General safety requirements and test methods.”
- EN 1176-2 “Playground Equipment and Surfacing. Part 2: Additional specific safety requirements and test methods for swings.”
- EN 1176-3 “Playground Equipment and Surfacing. Part 3: Additional specific safety requirements and test methods for slides.”
- EN 1176-4 “Playground Equipment and Surfacing. Part 4: Additional specific safety requirements and test methods for cableways.”
- EN 1176-5 “Playground Equipment and Surfacing. Part 5: Additional specific safety requirements and test methods for carousels.”
- EN 1176-6 “Playground Equipment and Surfacing. Part 6: Additional specific safety requirements and test methods for rocking equipment.”
- EN 1176-7 “Playground Equipment and Surfacing. Part 7: Guidance on installation, inspection, maintenance and operation.”
- EN 1176-10 “Playground Equipment and Surfacing. Part 10: Additional specific safety requirements and test methods for fully enclosed playground equipment.”
- EN 1176-11 “Playground Equipment and Surfacing. Part 11: Additional specific safety requirements and test methods for spatial network.”
- EN 1177 ““. Impact attenuating playground surfacing. Methods of test for determination of impact attenuation”
- Decree 127/2001 of 5 June of the Government of Andalusia.
- Decree 245/2003 of 24 April of the Government of Galicia.
- UNE EN 147103 “Planning and management of outdoor playgrounds and parks”.
- UNE 172001 IN “Signposting in playgrounds”.
Benefits of having recreational areas and playgrounds certified
Having certified playing areas and playgrounds is part of an inspection process that provides a guarantee of safety in areas in which children spend most of their time. The fact that we can offer this service implies that an external entity has verified the facilities, which in turn provides added value and a recognition of the management system enforced by those responsible for the playground, be that a public or private Administration, the manufacturers, maintenance companies, restaurants, schools, property managers, etc., They can all ensure that they are offering their most vulnerable audience a “safe” playing space.
How we carry out the certification of recreational areas and playgrounds
Certification is part of the main annual inspection, which, if it is favourable, i.e., if the recreational area meets the safety requirements indicated in its applicable standards, a certificate of conformity is issued, indicating that the recreational area or children’s playground is in compliance with the applicable standards and/or decrees, included during the annual inspection.
Our experience in the certification of recreational areas and playgrounds
Inspection and certification tasks are carried out by qualified AIJU inspectors and supervised by the technician in charge of Children’s playground equipment, under a work system accredited by ENAC, for playgrounds, according to the reference standard UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17020 “Conformity Assessment: Requirements for the operation of different types of inspection bodies”.
