Determination of the critical fall height for shock-absorbing playground floors according to EN 1177

EN 1177 specifies exactly how the critical fall height of shock-absorbing playground floors should be determined on site or in the laboratory, as an individual test or type approval. The EN 1177 thus describes a standardized measurement method that should enable the comparability of different fall protection products.

The test standard has been revised several times in recent years; with each revision, the test guidelines have been tightened. At editorial deadline, the current edition was DIN EN 1177: 2018-03, replacing the previous DIN EN 1177 Corrigendum 1: 2008-12. When choosing a shock-absorbing playground floor, be it a synthetic fall protection, fall protection mats, fall protection gravel, bark mulch or wood chips, it is therefore necessary to pay close attention to that the information on the critical case height was determined according to the currently binding test guideline.

In EN 1177, it is also clearly stated that the shock absorption of certain loose soil materials (e.g., sand, wood) strongly depends on the moisture content. Furthermore, it is pointed out that the behavior of natural substrate and base layer is strongly influenced by temperature, humidity and other factors. The test therefore only reflects the critical fall height at the time of the test and under the conditions prevailing at that time.