Understanding the system
The three inspection levels in EN 1176-7
Routine visual inspection, operational inspection and annual main inspection: what each answers, and who carries it out.
Updated
Short answer
EN 1176-7 describes three levels. The routine visual inspection is frequent and looks for obvious faults. The operational inspection is more thorough and looks at wear, stability and function. The annual main inspection is described as work for a competent person. They do not replace one another, because they ask different questions.
How to do it in Lekko
Inspection is divided into three levels, in line with EN 1176-7. Each level has its own checklist and its own interval.
Routine visual inspection
The frequent, quick round where you look for obvious hazards: damage, loose parts, vandalism and the state of the impact attenuating surfacing. You do this one yourselves.
Operational inspection
The more thorough round at longer intervals, where you look closely at wear, stability and moving parts. You do this one yourselves as well.
Annual main inspection
The deep inspection, which EN 1176-7 describes as work for a competent person. Lekko reminds you when it falls due, lets you record the findings and lets you upload the report — which is stored against every piece of equipment that was covered.
The levels are not the same round done with different amounts of care. They ask different questions, so a more frequent operational inspection does not replace the routine visual one.
Background
Three levels, three questions
The most common misunderstanding is that the levels are the same round done with different amounts of care. They ask different questions, which is why a more frequent operational inspection cannot stand in for the routine visual one: wear builds up over months, and the broken bottle arrived yesterday.
| Level | The question it asks | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Routine visual inspection | Is anything obviously wrong right now? | The people who look after the site |
| Operational inspection | Is the equipment still working as it should over time? | The people who look after the site |
| Annual main inspection | Is the overall level of safety intact? | A competent person |
The intervals follow the use, not a table. A kindergarten yard and a courtyard with three children are not in the same place on the scale, and the standard expects the owner to make that judgement. What is not optional is that the judgement has been made and written down.
Lekko builds on EN 1176 and EN 1177. It says that the equipment has been checked against those standards — not that any national requirement has been met. What makes the standard binding is national law, and that differs across the countries this market covers, so we do not claim to know what applies where you are.
Questions and answers
Can we do all three levels ourselves?
The first two, yes — they are meant to be done by the people who look after the site. EN 1176-7 describes the annual main inspection as work for a competent person, and it calls for a judgement independent of the people running the site day to day.
What happens if we miss an interval?
Note it and carry out the inspection. A late inspection that shows up in the log is a deviation in the routine; a late inspection nobody noticed is a hole in the record that cannot be filled in afterwards.
What is a competent person under EN 1176?
The standard uses the term for whoever carries out the annual main inspection: somebody with the knowledge to judge the overall safety of the equipment, including parts that are not visible from the ground. What matters is the competence and the independence, not which supplier you buy it from.
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
This article 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.