Playground Fencing Regulations

Playground Fencing Regulations That You Need To Know

Playgrounds are the key places where children develop physical, emotional and psychological skills at early stages in their life. Through play, children can learn social skills and express their creativity.

Therefore, playgrounds are important areas that should be planned and designed carefully to keep children safe and prevent them from dangerous accidents. One of the standard requirements is that playgrounds need to be properly fenced off.

Fencing around playgrounds will prevent unauthorised people and vehicles from entering, such as bicycles and cars. Moreover, it will keep children in a safe zone as they will not be able to run in the street.

Playground fencing has to follow certain regulations to provide the highest level of safety. In this blog post, we will discuss playground fencing regulations that need to be followed when installing fences around play areas. We hope that this short guide will dispel any doubts you may have.

The Standard Regulations For Playgrounds

You would be surprised how many gates around play areas do not comply with BS EN 1176 – the British and European Standard for playground equipment and surfacing. This is very concerning as the safety of children should be the priority.

The BS EN 1176 requirements are published in seven parts. However, we have compiled a list of the most important considerations that relate to fences and gates.

Fencing Requirements

• Its height has to be at least 1m.
• Fence height has to be maintained through raking panels for sloping sites.
• Strong fixings need to be installed on proprietary caps and edgings.
• Designed in a safe way to protect children from entrapment within the fence.
• Made from durable materials and coatings that will resist vandalism and will be long-lasting.
• Timber should be resistant to splintering.

Gates Requirements

• Its width has to be at least 1m.
• It shouldn’t open directly onto a dangerous area, such as a road with live traffic.
• It has to be a wheelchair and pushchairs friendly.
• It needs to open outwards unless it would pose a risk to others (for example, dangerous areas, or hazardous areas).
• Their colour has to be different to the fencing to identify them easily.
• A self-closing mechanism is recommended.
• It should not close quicker than 5 seconds for safety reasons.
• If it is a maintenance gate, it has to be wide enough for the machinery to enter.

Following the above regulations will help you to provide the safest play area. Moreover, you will have a layer of protection if an accident happened and you were sued as you would be able to demonstrate your legal duty of care through compliance.

Key Documents

It is important to know about the legal requirements related to the safety of children in play areas.

These are the three key documents where safety regulations are presented:

• Health and Safety at Work (1974)
• Occupiers Liability Act (1957, revised 1984)
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999)

BS EN 1176 Compliant Playground Fencing

Alpha Rail is one of the leading manufacturers of railings in the UK. Our products are compliant with UK requirements. You can see our playground railings here.

If you are looking for high-quality playground fencing, do not hesitate to contact us. You can call us on 01623 750 214 or email us at websales@alpharail.co.uk. Alternatively, fill out the form down below.