Inspection and routines
Playground inspection checklist: what to check, in the order you walk it
A checklist for the routine visual and operational inspection, ordered as a walk: boundary, surfacing, each piece of equipment, hands on, record. From EN 1176.
Short answer
Walk the site in a fixed order: the approach and the fence, the impact attenuating surfacing, then each piece of equipment, then the points you touch and measure at the operational level, and finally the record. Every point is a yes or no you can answer standing there. The list below is built from EN 1176 and EN 1177, so it matches the equipment sold in Europe rather than a template written for another continent.
The checklists that are easiest to find in English come from generic inspection platforms and are shaped by American guidance: the ground cover has an American name, the reference is an American agency, and the swing clearances are somebody else's. The equipment standing in a Dutch schoolyard or a Polish housing estate was built to EN 1176. This list follows that standard, and it follows the walk, because a list ordered the way you move across the site is the one that gets finished.
Want it on paper? Print the free checklist: the same structure with tick boxes, a table for findings and space for date and name.
Five stops, one order
Stop 1: the approach and the boundary
EN 1176-7 treats the fences, gates, benches and bins as part of what is installed, inspected and maintained, and for good reason: the gate that no longer latches towards the road is a more common finding than a broken swing.
- Gates close and latch, especially towards traffic and towards water.
- The fence is whole, with no gap a small child fits through and no protruding wire or nail.
- No glass, litter, needles or sharp objects on the ground or in the sand.
- Benches, bins and bicycle racks stand outside the impact areas, not inside them.
- No signs of fire, vandalism or graffiti that hides a fault.
- The manufacturer's plate and any age marking are still attached and readable.
Stop 2: surfacing and impact area
- Loose fill is at depth where children land: no hollow under the swing seats, no bare patch at the foot of the slide.
- No exposed foundations, kerbs, roots or edging sitting proud of the surface inside the impact area.
- Synthetic surfaces are whole: no lifted tiles, no cracks with a hard edge, no seams opening.
- Water does not stand where children land, and there is no ice on the surfacing.
- No vegetation growing into the impact area or blocking the view across the site.
Stop 3: each piece of equipment, by type
On top of what applies to everything (no missing or loose parts, no sharp edges, no newly broken surfaces within reach, ropes and chains intact), each type has the two or three points that catch the faults a general list walks past. The middle column is what you see from the ground; the right column is what the operational inspection adds.
| Type | Routine visual | Operational |
|---|---|---|
| Swing | Seats whole, chains intact, clear ground in front and behind | Bearings in the top beam, S-hooks closed and not worn thin, clearance to the ground and between seats measured |
| Nest swing | Ring and ropes attached, clear ground all round | Rope attachments and the ring's suspension; the nest rotates as well as swings |
| Slide | Sliding surface whole, run-out clear, guardrails at the entry in place | Cracks, dents and steps at the joints along the whole length; the transition from run-out to surfacing |
| Climbing frame | Grips, rungs and nets attached, nothing hanging loose | Welds and joints, crushing and entrapment openings, free height of fall against the impact area |
| Carousel | Turns freely, nothing trapped beneath the platform | Bearings and the centre fixing, clearance under and around the platform |
| Seesaw and spring rider | Damper or tyre under each seat, handgrips in place | Pivot or spring and its guard, crushing points, anchoring in the ground |
| Cableway | Wire rope and traveller intact, end stop in place | Rope wear, braking, and the clearance under a loaded seat along the whole run |
| Sandpit | Sand clean, cover on where there is one | Drainage, edge protection, and whether the sand needs replacing |
Stop 4: hands on, the operational level
These need a hand on the equipment and a rule in your pocket, and they belong to the operational inspection. They are the points a routine visual round is allowed to skip.
- Posts and foundations are firm: no movement when pushed hard at head height.
- Fixings, bolts and nuts are tight and complete, with caps in place.
- Bearings and joints run without play.
- Chains and hooks show no wear near the point of failure.
- The depth of loose fill is measured to firm ground at several points in the impact area, and the number is written down.
- Timber is free of rot at ground level and at the fixings; a screwdriver pushed in tells you more than a glance.
- Steel is free of corrosion right through, especially where the post enters the ground.
- Openings that could trap a head, neck, finger or foot are checked, above all where something has been repaired or rebuilt.
Stop 5: record and grade
- Critical. The equipment is taken out of use now, physically, and is not used again until the fault is put right. A rope and a sign are not a closure if a child can still use it.
- Moderate. It has to be dealt with, but use can continue. Give it a person and a date.
- Minor. Keep an eye on it. Record it so it is not forgotten and so the trend can be followed.
Three tests for a good point
Where the list lives
In Lekko these points are set up per type of equipment, each with the part of EN 1176 or EN 1177 it is checked against, so the round is a matter of walking and tapping rather than remembering. The routine visual points and the operational points are the same list with the deeper points marked, which is what keeps the two rounds recognisable as one routine. See what the record should contain and how deep the surfacing has to be.
Questions and answers
What should a playground inspection checklist include?
Points for the site as a whole (gate, fence, litter, surfacing, hard objects in the impact area), two or three points per type of equipment, a separate set of hands-on points for the operational inspection (fixings, bearings, rot, corrosion, measured surfacing depth), and a place to record and grade what was found. Keep the routine visual level short enough to be walked in minutes.
Is there an EN 1176 checklist in English I can download?
Yes: the free checklist on this site follows the structure above, with tick boxes and a table for findings, and it is built from EN 1176 and EN 1177 rather than from American guidance. It is a list of what to look at with space for what you found. It is not a form that declares a playground safe, because no form can.
Can our caretaker use this checklist, or does it need a competent person?
The routine visual inspection and the operational inspection are meant for the people who look after the site, which is what this list is for. The annual main inspection is the level EN 1176-7 describes as work for a competent person, and this list does not cover it; it covers the rounds between one annual main inspection and the next.
How do I check the depth of the surfacing?
Push a stick or a folding rule through the loose fill to firm ground at the places children land: under the swing seats, at the foot of the slide, below the climbing frame. Write the number down rather than ticking «in order». For loose fill EN 1176-1 gives 200 mm up to a 2 m fall and 300 mm up to 3 m, plus 100 mm for displacement, so 300 and 400 mm as laid.
Do we inspect equipment nobody bought, such as a tower parents built?
Yes. EN 1176 does not distinguish purchased from self-built equipment. A tower put up by volunteers, a tyre swing hung by a parent and the frame that came with the property are all playground equipment and go on the same round. If a piece cannot be judged against the standard at all, that is a reason to rebuild it or remove it.
Sources
- EN 1176 and EN 1177 – CEN/TC 136 Sports, playground and other recreational facilities and equipment (CEN-CENELEC)
- CEN-CENELEC: European Standards, and how members adopt them nationally
- PN-EN 1176-7:2020-09 Wyposażenie placów zabaw i nawierzchnie – Część 7 (PKN)
This article is written by August and gives a practical account of the requirements. It does not reproduce the standards EN 1176 and EN 1177, and it does not replace the annual main inspection by a competent person. If you are unsure what applies to your playground, ask a competent person or the relevant authority in your own country.
Less fuss. Lekko remembers.
Ready-made checklists built from EN 1176 and EN 1177, a reminder before every inspection, and a report you can hand over in one click.