EUROLAB laboratory provides testing and compliance services within the scope of EN 1177 standard. The EN 1177 standard specifies test apparatus and impact test methods for determining impact attenuation of the surface coating by measuring the acceleration experienced during impact. Test equipment conforming to this standard can be applied to tests performed in a laboratory or in the field by any of the methods described.
The test methods described in this standard also apply to areas of influence required by standards other than playground equipment, eg for outdoor fitness equipment and track equipment.
This European Standard is based on the safety principles given in EN 1176-1 for playground equipment and provides a method for assessing the impact attenuation of surfaces intended for use in the impact area, as defined in EN 1176-1. This standard (EN 1177) aims to reduce the consequences of experiencing desirable risks to child development according to the principles set out in EN 1176-1.
Injuries occur for a variety of reasons during the use of playground equipment, and the vast majority are minor. It is known that even the presence of protective features such as impact-reducing surface coating affects the behavior of children, caregivers and play providers, which in turn can affect risk. Most of the more serious injuries are attributable to falls, and there are many surface-independent factors that influence injury mechanisms during a fall, eg body orientation, awkwardness of the fall, bone density, etc.
The most serious injuries are likely to be head injuries. Recent research has shown that arm and leg injuries are more common and can be affected by the duration of the acceleration pulse.
The committee responsible for this European Standard continually reviews research in this area for possible use in a future revision of this standard. The Committee recognizes that there is a correlation between the risk of arm and leg injuries and the type of surface, but is of the view that such injuries are generally not in the most severe category. Currently available injury data can be taken into account by limiting the maximum acceleration.
As a result, the committee has chosen to prioritize reducing the likelihood of serious head injuries caused by falling from playground equipment, because while such injuries are relatively rare, they can have the most serious consequences. The severity of an injury from a blow to the head can be measured by the upper limit of the peak acceleration gmax = 1000g (g for gravity) with the Head Injury Criterion (HIC) and the level of HIC = 200. When evaluated according to this standard, it has been chosen as the upper limits for surface coating.
Limiting the HIC value to a maximum of 1000 equals a 3% probability of critical head injury (MAIS1 5), an 18% probability of serious (MAIS 4) head injury, and a 55% probability of serious (MAIS). 3) head injury, 89% probability of moderate head injury (MAIS 2), and 99,5% probability of mild head injury (MAIS 1) for an average male adult.
Limiting Gmax to 200g max as well as HIC to 1 max takes very short-term effects into account and follows current research on arm injuries as a way to improve the Standard.
Two methods are provided for impact testing. The first method is for the determination of the Critical Drop Height to provide full and detailed confirmation of a product's compliance range. The second method defines an in situ drop test to ensure that the performance of the surfacing at that particular site location during the test is duly confirmed, without determining the critical drop height during installation or later in its lifetime.
Various materials, both natural and synthetic, can be used as impact-reducing surface coatings with different qualities and performance. These include grass, sand, sawdust, bark, gravel, and a variety of rubber-based products that grow in the soil, which can be in the form of tile or continuous coatings or combinations of these materials. While the methods described in this Standard can be used to evaluate the impact reduction performance of any of these surfaces, users are cautioned that the behavior of some materials can be highly variable and dependent on prevailing test conditions, and test results will likely vary.
The equipment includes: a headform equipped with one or more accelerometers, optionally a signal conditioner, a release system for the headform, means for measuring the effective free fall height, a signal transmission system, and a pulse measuring equipment.
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