Equipment for children’s playgrounds and playrooms

Draft Order of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania ‘On Amendments to the Order of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania of 30 October 2015 No. V-1208 ‘On the Approval of the Lithuanian Hygienic Standard HN 131:2015 ‘Children’s Playgrounds and Playrooms. General Health Safety Requirements’’.

The draft establishes requirements for the installation, use and maintenance of children’s playgrounds and playrooms in public places. The draft provides that playgrounds and playrooms’ equipment and crash-absorbing surfacing must be accompanied by a certificate of conformity or a manufacturer’s declaration attesting to the conformity of the equipment and surfacing with the requirements of the applicable standards, and must include instructions in the national language for installation, use and maintenance. Playgrounds and playrooms must be inspected (assessed) for compliance with the relevant standards before they can be used. The inspection (assessment) must be carried out by an accredited Type A inspection body. Operators or owners of playgrounds and playrooms are also obliged to ensure regular maintenance and control of the equipment and surfaces of playgrounds and playrooms. It is established that:

• at least once a week, inspections of playgrounds and playrooms must include an assessment of the risks arising from the use of the equipment and vandalism (broken or missing parts, other obvious hazards);
• at least once every 3 months, unless otherwise specified by the equipment manufacturer in the maintenance instructions, the functioning and stability of the equipment in playrooms and playgrounds, wear and tear (especially of the moving parts) and the structural integrity must be assessed during the service inspection; 
• at least once every 12 months, a thorough annual inspection of playrooms and playgrounds must be carried out to assess the conformity of their equipment and surfaces with the requirements of the relevant standards, including exposure to meteorological factors, rotting or corrosion, and changes in the level of safety of the equipment as a result of repairs, additions or replacements of component parts. The equipment in playgrounds and playrooms must be subject to a thorough annual inspection by an accredited Type A inspection body.
  The draft also includes further general safety requirements for the construction and maintenance of playgrounds and playrooms.