EN 17232:2020

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-maj-2020
Vodna igralna oprema - Varnostne zahteve, preskusne metode in zahteve za
obratovanje
Water play equipment and features - Safety requirements, test methods and operational
requirements
Wasserspielgeräte und ‑merkmale - Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen,
Prüfverfahren und betriebliche Anforderungen
Équipements et éléments de jeux aquatiques - Exigences de sécurité, méthodes d’essai
et exigences de fonctionnement
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 17232:2020
ICS:
97.220.40 Oprema za športe na Outdoor and water sports
prostem in vodne športe equipment
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 17232
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
March 2020
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 97.220.40
English Version
Water play equipment and features - Safety requirements,
test methods and operational requirements
Équipements et éléments de jeux aquatiques - Wasserspielgeräte und -merkmale -
Exigences de sécurité, méthodes d'essai et exigences de Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen, Prüfverfahren
fonctionnement und betriebliche Anforderungen
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 5 January 2020.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2020 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 17232:2020 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 4
Introduction . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 8
4 Safety requirements . 11
4.1 General . 11
4.2 Structural integrity . 11
4.2.1 General . 11
4.2.2 Materials . 11
4.3 Climbability . 12
4.4 Spaces . 12
4.4.1 General . 12
4.4.2 Impact area . 13
4.4.3 Falling space . 16
4.5 Handrails, barriers, safety barriers . 16
4.6 Surfaces . 16
4.7 Protrusions . 16
4.8 Edges and corners . 16
4.9 Entrapment, crushing and shearing points . 16
4.9.1 General . 16
4.9.2 Swimming under water play equipment/feature . 16
4.9.3 Diving under water play equipment/feature . 18
4.10 Slip resistance . 19
4.11 Safety of wet barefoot areas . 19
4.12 Fittings . 19
4.13 Removable protection devices . 19
4.14 Alteration of existing equipment. 19
4.15 Water inlets and water outlets . 20
4.16 Forced movement . 20
5 Electricity . 20
6 Water quality . 20
7 Test methods . 20
8 Test report . 20
9 Installation and general instructions . 21
9.1 General . 21
9.2 Pre-information . 21
9.3 Installation . 21
9.4 General Information . 22
10 Operational and safety instructions . 23
10.1 General . 23
10.2 Operational instructions . 23
10.3 Signage . 23
11 Inspection and maintenance instructions . 24
11.1 General . 24
11.2 Inspections . 24
11.2.1 Commissioning inspection . 24
11.2.2 Routine visual inspection . 25
11.2.3 Periodic inspection . 25
11.2.4 Periodic thorough inspection. 25
11.3 Maintenance instructions . 26
11.3.1 General . 26
11.3.2 Servicing. 26
11.3.3 Repair . 27
11.3.4 Modifications . 27
12 Marking . 27
12.1 General . 27
12.2 Water level . 27
Annex A (informative) Signs . 28
A.1 Prohibition signs . 28
A.2 Mandatory signs . 29
A.3 Information sign . 30
Bibliography . 31

European foreword
This document (EN 17232:2020) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 136 “Sports,
playground and other recreational facilities and equipment”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text
or by endorsement, at the latest by September 2020, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by September 2020.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the
United Kingdom.
Introduction
For the quality of reading and understanding this document, the following wording is used:
— shall = requirement;
— should = recommendation;
— may = permission;
— can = possibility.
It is not the purpose of the requirements of this document to lessen the contribution that water play
equipment/feature makes to the child's development and/or play, which is meaningful from an
educational point of view.
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. However, the balance between safety and benefits is likely to be different in the two
environments. In play provision, exposure to some degree of risk could be of benefit because it satisfies
a basic human need and gives children the chance to learn about risk and consequences in a controlled
environment.
The purpose of this document is to ensure a proper level of safety when playing in, on or around water
play equipment/feature(s), and at the same time to promote activities and features known to benefit
children because they provide valuable experiences that will enable them to cope with situations
outside the water play equipment/feature(s).
Respecting the characteristics of children's play and the way children benefit from playing in a water
environment with regard to development, children need to learn to cope with risk and this can lead to
bumps and bruises and even occasionally a broken limb. The aim of this document is first and foremost
to prevent accidents with a disabling or fatal consequence, and secondly to lessen serious consequences
caused by the occasional mishap that inevitably will occur in children's pursuit of expanding their level
of competence, be it socially, intellectually or physically.
Without striving for completeness, among others the following features could be considered when
designing, installing and using water play equipment/feature:
a) Water (and air) emitting - as described in EN 13451-3;
b) Without water (or air) emitting - e.g. a playground feature installed in water play installation;
c) Solo features - e.g. one step stone;
d) Groups of features - e.g. a group of step stones;
e) Normally dry features but with wetted surface by e.g. water cannons, sprays etc.;
f) Climbable features (intended to be climbed);
g) Non-climbable features (and not intended to be climbed) - e.g. an elevated spray park structure;
h) Additional features not intended to be climbed but with the possibility - e.g. artificial rocks,
supporting constructions;
i) Raised and (often) combined features (spray park) with waterslides connected - e.g. a raised spray
ground structure;
j) Raised and (often) combined features (spray park) without waterslides connected - e.g. a raised
spray park structure.
1 Scope
This document specifies safety requirements, test methods and operational requirements for installed
water play equipment, features and structures:
— intended for playing, and
— in areas intended for water activities for public use (non-domestic), typically in swimming pool
facilities, and
— where water is an integral part in the use of the play equipment/feature/structures.
This document also applies for spray parks.
This document does not apply to:
a) floating leisure articles according to EN ISO 25649 series;
b) artificial climbing walls according to EN 12572 series;
c) toys according to EN 71 series;
d) water slides according to EN 1069 series;
e) climbing/bouldering walls used in the swimming pool surround according to EN 17164;
f) water equipment/features (e.g. ornamental fountains) not intended for playing;
g) water play equipment/features installed in swimming pools for domestic use;
h) playground equipment according to EN 1176 series.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 1069 (all parts), Water slides
EN 1176 (all parts), Playground equipment and surfacing
EN 1177, Impact attenuating playground surfacing — Methods of test for determination of impact
attenuation
EN 13451 (all parts), Swimming pool equipment
EN 15288-1, Swimming pools for public use — Part 1: Safety requirements for design
EN 15288-2, Swimming pools for public use — Part 2: Safety requirements for operation
EN ISO 3834 (all parts), Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials
(ISO 3834 (all parts))
EN ISO 14732:2013, Welding personnel — Qualification testing of welding operators and weld setters for
mechanized and automatic welding of metallic materials (ISO 14732:2013)
EN ISO 15607, Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials — General
rules (ISO 15607)
HD 60364-7-702, Low-voltage electrical installations — Part 7-702: Requirements for special installations
or locations — Swimming pools and fountains (IEC 60364-7-702)
ISO 3864-1, Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Part 1: Design principles for safety
signs and safety markings
ISO 3864-3, Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Part 3: Design principles for graphical
symbols for use in safety signs
ISO 7001, Graphical symbols — Public information symbols
ISO 7010, Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Registered safety signs
ISO 20712-3, Water safety signs and beach safety flags — Part 3: Guidance for use
ISO 22727, Graphical symbols — Creation and design of public information symbols — Requirements
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 15288-1 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
water play equipment/feature
equipment/feature including components and constructional elements that incorporate water as an
element intended for playing
3.2
spray park
specific barefoot recreational area installed with water play equipment/features without water
retention accessible to the users
3.3
swimming pool equipment
components installed in and around a basin, designated:
— to operate the basin and its functionally adjoining areas;
— to use it and its functionally adjoining areas
Note 1 to entry: These components can be part of the swimming pool technology (e.g. water inlets or outlets), to
assist the users (e.g. ladders), for competitive and training use (e.g. starting platforms), for leisure (e.g. fountains).
[SOURCE: EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 3.1]
3.4
falling space
space in, on or around the equipment that can be passed through by a user falling from an elevated part
of the water play equipment/feature
[SOURCE: EN 1176-1:2017, 3.8, modified - Specified for water play equipment/features]
3.5
elevated playing surface
accessible area on a water play equipment/feature where the play occurs and where the user can fall or
jump off
Note 1 to entry: This can e.g. be a platform, a slope, a ladder, a ramp or steps.
3.6
playing surface
surface within the falling space, including the water play
equipment/feature, where the play occurs and which comprises at least the impact area
3.7
minimum space
smallest space required for the safe use of the water play equipment/feature
[SOURCE: EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 3.10, modified - “Installation” deleted and adapted to water play
equipment/feature.]
3.8
impact area
area that can be hit by a user after falling through the falling space
Note 1 to entry: The water surface is not considered as an impact area.
[SOURCE: EN 1176-1:2017, modified - Note 1 to entry added]
3.9
fall height to water surface
FHW
maximum vertical distance from the elevated play surface to the underlying water surface
3.10
total fall height
TFH
maximum vertical distance from elevated play surface to the impact area below
3.11
diving
active movement from outside the water into the water with head and arms forward
3.12
jumping
active movement from outside the water into the water with feet forward
3.13
handrail
rail intended to assist the user to balance
[SOURCE: EN 1176-1:2017, 3.21]
3.14
barrier
means of segregation to prevent movement or access
[SOURCE: EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 3.14]
3.15
safety barrier
barrier designed to prevent users from falling over, through or beneath
[SOURCE: EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 3.15]
3.16
protrusion
object, or a portion of an object, that stands or protrudes in/into the falling space
[SOURCE: EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 3.12, modified - Specified to “falling space”.]
3.17
edge
line being formed by two surfaces of something solid which meet one another
[SOURCE: EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 3.8]
3.18
corner
point being formed by two or more edges which meet one another
[SOURCE: EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 3.9]
3.19
shearing point
place where part of the equipment can move past a fixed or other moving part, or past a fixed area so
that persons, or parts of their body, can be cut
[SOURCE: EN 1176-1:2017, 3.11]
3.20
entrapment
hazard presented by the situation in which a body, or part of a body, the hair or clothing can become
trapped
Note 1 to entry: Entrapment hazards can arise from situations where the body, its parts, etc. get trapped, but
also from situations where the body of the user has no complete freedom to emerge from the water, e.g. when
swimming underneath a stepladder.
[SOURCE: EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 3.7]
3.21
free area
unobstructed area in front of an entrance to the swim-under area for facilitating rescue activities
3.22
forced movement
movement of the user caused by the equipment (e.g. swinging, sliding, carousel rotation etc.) which,
once started, cannot be totally controlled by the user
Note 1 to entry: Rationale — falls are not considered forced movement as they are not imposed on the user by
the equipment but occur for other reasons.
[SOURCE: EN 1176-1:2017, 3.34 - modified by deleting Note 2 to entry]
3.23
crushing point
place where parts of the equipment can move against each other, or against a fixed area so that persons,
or parts of their body, can be crushed
[SOURCE: EN 1176-1:2017, 3.10]
3.24
grid
component to cover an overflow channel or an opening, designed to allow the passage of water
[SOURCE: EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 3.17]
4 Safety requirements
4.1 General
Water play equipment/feature for public use shall comply with EN 1176-1 for playground equipment as
well as with EN 13451-1, EN 13451-2 and EN 13451-3 for swimming pool equipment, if their
requirements are not modified by this document.
When requirements overlap, EN 1176 series applies with equipment-specific requirements.
EN 13451 series applies with swimming-pool-specific requirements as well as for effects in connection
with water and EN 1069 series for waterslides.
The respective requirements shall be adhered to with combined water play equipment/features.
Additional hazards can arise from combining the equipment. These shall be assessed individually.
Manufacturers shall give minimum water depths and/or impact-area requirements and required size of
falling space and minimum zone for use as minimum data for planning.
4.2 Structural integrity
4.2.1 General
Structural integrity, including stability, of the equipment shall be according to
EN 13451-1:2011+A1:2016, 4.1.1.
4.2.2 Materials
4.2.2.1 General
Materials should be selected so that they:
— meet the requirements of the national applicable regulations/guidelines;
— shall meet the requirements of the EN 1176 (all parts);
— shall meet the requirements of the EN 13451 (all parts);
— are suitable for a wet environment;
— shall be able to withstand corrosion in the intended environment;
— shall not promote bacterial growth;
— should not release substances as required by current relevant European and/or National
regulations;
— shall not negatively influence the water quality.
4.2.2.2 Use of stainless steel
Stress-crack-corrosion can affect stainless steel in a corrosive atmosphere. Wherever the use of
stainless steel is considered, a design risk assessment shall be carried out.
For the selection and use of stainless steel for structural parts in a corrosive atmosphere, EN 13451-1
applies.
4.3 Climbability
Water play equipment/features are considered climbable if at least one of the following principles
applies:
a) water play equipment/feature with a designated elevated playing surface in a height of < 600 mm
above the impact area;
b) foot step in a height < 400 mm above the impact area;
c) hand grip or object for climbing ≤ 1 800 mm above the impact area;
d) slanted elements, walkable by the user, with a slope of ≤ 30° from the horizontal;
e) slots and protrusions that encourage climbi
...