If you're buying playground equipment, do you know about EN71-8 ?
As you are probably only too well aware, the EU are constantly changing the laws that affect even the smallest things in our life, and that includes playground equipment. The latest regulation is EN71-8, which affect swing sets, climbing frames and all sorts of other playground equipment.
So, if you are looking to buy any garden playground equipment then make sure it complies with the European Standards EN71-1, EN71-3 and also the new EN71-8. There will be a lot of people selling playground equipment for residential use which doesn't comply with the new regulations. The regulations seem to consist mainly of measures to ensure the safety of your children. Make sure you don't get caught out buying non-compliant playground equipment for your children ! (I'm pleased to say that all the products that we are listing for 2005 DO comply with the new regulations.)
If there is one 'silly' in the regulations (and EU regulations wouldn't be complete without one) then it has to be the fact that traditional rocking horses seem to have got caught up in all this. The rules were apparently meant to cover the sort of rocking horses that are on springs in commercial or park playgrounds. The regulations apparently now state that the rocking horses can't be over 600mm high, which instantly makes the vast majority of traditional rocking horses illegal. The idea behind the 600mm rule is that it is designed to reduce the amount of broken collar bones when kids fall off. I'm not sure what the statistics for this sort of injury actually are, but I can't believe it's that high.
Like I said, a lot of common sense, safety conscious rules, which are there for the safety of your kids. It's just a shame that they has to introduce a 'stupid' element (as usual).
So, if you are looking to buy any garden playground equipment then make sure it complies with the European Standards EN71-1, EN71-3 and also the new EN71-8. There will be a lot of people selling playground equipment for residential use which doesn't comply with the new regulations. The regulations seem to consist mainly of measures to ensure the safety of your children. Make sure you don't get caught out buying non-compliant playground equipment for your children ! (I'm pleased to say that all the products that we are listing for 2005 DO comply with the new regulations.)
If there is one 'silly' in the regulations (and EU regulations wouldn't be complete without one) then it has to be the fact that traditional rocking horses seem to have got caught up in all this. The rules were apparently meant to cover the sort of rocking horses that are on springs in commercial or park playgrounds. The regulations apparently now state that the rocking horses can't be over 600mm high, which instantly makes the vast majority of traditional rocking horses illegal. The idea behind the 600mm rule is that it is designed to reduce the amount of broken collar bones when kids fall off. I'm not sure what the statistics for this sort of injury actually are, but I can't believe it's that high.
Like I said, a lot of common sense, safety conscious rules, which are there for the safety of your kids. It's just a shame that they has to introduce a 'stupid' element (as usual).
