BS EN 13138-1-2003 Buoyant aids for swimming instruction — Part 1 Safety requirements and test methods for buoyant aids to be worn.pdf

BRITISH STANDARD BS EN 13138-1:2003 Buoyant aids for swimming instruction Part 1: Safety requirements and test methods for buoyant aids to be worn The European Standard EN 13138-1:2003 has the status of a British Standard ICS 97.220.40 ? BS EN 13138-1:2003 This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 7 May 2004 © BSI 7 May 2004 ISBN 0 580 43746 9 National foreword This British Standard is the official English language version of EN 13138-1:2003. The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted by Technical Committee SW/136, Sports, playground and other recreational equipment, to Subcommittee SW/136/8, Swimming equipment, which has the responsibility to: A list of organizations represented on this subcommittee can be obtained on request to its secretary. Cross-references The British Standards which implement international or European publications referred to in this document may be found in the BSI Catalogue under the section entitled “ International Standards Correspondence Index” , or by using the “ Search” facility of the BSI Electronic Catalogue or of British Standards Online. This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application. Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity from legal obligations. aid enquirers to understand the text; present to the responsible European committee any enquiries on the interpretation, or proposals for change, and keep the UK interests informed; monitor related international and European developments and promulgate them in the UK. Summary of pages This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, the EN title page, pages 2 to 27 and a back cover. The BSI copyright notice displayed in this document indicates when the document was last issued. Amendments issued since publication Amd. No. DateComments EUROPEAN STANDARD NORME EUROPÉENNE EUROPÄISCHE NORM EN 13138-1 May 2003 ICS 97.220.40 English version Buoyant aids for swimming instruction - Part 1: Safety requirements and test methods for buoyant aids to be worn Aides à la flottabilité pour l'apprentissage de la natation - Partie 1: Exigences de sécurité et méthodes d'essais pour les aides à la flottabilité dispositif porté au corps Auftriebshilfen für das Schwimmenlernen - Teil 1: Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren für am Körper getragene Auftriebshilfen This European Standard was approved by CEN on 14 February 2003. CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the Management Centre or to any CEN member. This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the Management Centre has the same status as the official versions. CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36 B-1050 Brussels © 2003 CENAll rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CEN national Members. Ref. No. EN 13138-1:2003 E EN 13138-1:2003 (E) 2 Contents Foreword. 4 Introduction 5 1Scope 6 2Normative References 6 3Terms and definitions. 6 4Classification. 8 5Safety requirements 8 5.1General. 8 5.2Buoyancy. 8 5.3Fit and positioning 10 5.4Safe design 10 5.5Entire assembly and components. 11 5.6Materials - mechanical properties. 11 5.7Materials and Markings - Chemical properties 12 5.8Adhesion of markings 12 6Test methods. 12 6.1General. 12 6.2Conditioning prior to testing 12 6.3Materials and markings - resistance to chlorinated salt water 13 6.4Markings - resistance to saliva 13 6.5Markings - resistance to perspiration. 13 6.6Buoyancy characteristics. 13 6.7Non-return valve efficiency 13 6.8Residual buoyancy 13 6.9Adjustability, retention of function, edges, corners and points 13 6.10Security of buckles and other fixings. 13 6.11Seam strength and durability of inflatable devices. 13 6.12Puncture test . 13 6.13Adhesion of markings 13 6.14Small parts. 13 6.15Integrity of the entire assembly. 14 6.16Tests on the properties of materials and the performance of specific devices. 14 7Warnings and markings on the product. 14 7.1Information supplied by the manufacturer. 14 7.2Consumer information at the point of sale. 15 Annex A (normative) Procedures for conditioning of the swimming aid prior to testing 16 Annex B (normative) Procedures for testing resistance of markings to saliva. 17 Annex C (normative) Procedures for testing efficiency of non-return valves of inflatable devices. 18 Annex D (normativ ) Security of the pressure release of buckles. 19 Annex E (normative) Procedures for testing adjustability, retention of function, edges, corners and points by assessment. 20 E.1General. 20 E.2Assessment of hazards 20 E.3Re-assessment of instructions supplied with the device. 22 Annex F (normative) Test procedures for seam strength and durability of inflatable devices 23 Annex G (normative) Test procedures for determining the puncture resistance of inflatable devices 24 Annex H (normative) Test procedures for integrity of the entire assembly. 25 H.1Test description. 25 H.2Test parameters. 25 ? EN 13138-1:2003 (E) 3 Annex ZA (informative) Clauses of this European Standard addressing essential requirements or other provisions of EU Directives. .26 Bibliography 27 ? EN 13138-1:2003 (E) 4 Foreword This document (EN 13138-1:2003) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 162 “Protective clothing including hand and arm protection and lifejackets”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN. This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by November 2003, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by November 2003. This document has been prepared under a mandate given to CEN by the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association, and supports essential requirements of EU Directive(s). For relationship with EU Directive(s), see informative Annex ZA, which is an integral part of this document. The annexes A to H are normative. According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ? EN 13138-1:2003 (E) 5 Introduction The entire process of learning to swim is considered to include three stages: becoming familiar with the water environment and movements through it acquiring skills in standard swimming strokes developing more advanced swimming strokes and techniques Buoyant aids for swimming instructions (in brief: “swimming aid(s)“) are intended to assist persons (in particular children) to learn to swim. The design and purpose of the devices are related to the above stages. Swimming aids are intended to give the user positive buoyancy in the water whilst maintaining the correct body position for swimming. However, it should not be assumed that standard conformity of the devices will by itself eliminate the risk of drowning as this depends also on the behaviour of the user and any supervision. Although this standard sets performance requirements to ensure that swimming aids perform appropriately, it is essential that the devices are used correctly and under constant and close supervision. It is important to ensure that they are securely fitted to the appropriate size of wearer and that when correctly fitted, they cannot become displaced. Swim seats however shall allow immediate escape in case of capsizing. The use of these devices shall be restricted to water out of standing depth of the wearer. The highest degree of protection against drowning can only be achieved by using life jackets. It is essential that there is a clear distinction between devices intended to preserve life and those which are intended only to assist buoyancy for the user when learning to swim. As swimming aids are not life preservers, they should only be used in swimming pools and other situations free from current, tides and waves. The bulk storage of some sorts of swimming aids could, under certain conditions, result in a potential fire hazard. The perceived risk of such a hazard was evaluated against the actual risk to the user from materials treated with certain known toxic fire retardant chemicals. However, the fire hazard is less of a problem to the user than the risk associated with the swimming aids being put in the mouth, especially by children. For this reason, flammability requirements are not included in the standard. For the above reasons and to differentiate these devices from aquatic toys, advisory safety measures, including marking, warning notices and user instructions are included in this standard. The range both of the design and function of swimming aids varies considerably and for this reason, the standard has been prepared in three parts, namely devices that are intended to allow the wearer to become familiar with water (passive wearer), devices that are worn (active wearer) and those devices that are held by the user for special training purposes. Part 1 of the standard is for devices that are worn or carried on the body (class B devices for an active user). They are intended to introduce the user to the range of swimming strokes. Part 2 of the standard is for devices that are held either in the hands, by the body or between the legs and are intended (class C devices for an active user) to assist with improving specific elements of the swimming stroke. For adult beginners or more advanced users they can also be used for further stages of the process to learn to swim. Part 3, deals with swim seats as typical and common devices to assist children up to 36 months in their first attempts to learn to swim i.e. to get familiar with the “in-water-environment“ and movement through it (class A devices, passive user). The child sits inside the seat, the seat provides buoyancy and lateral support to keep the child's head above water level . This part of the standard, Part 1, deals with devices that are worn on the body and that cannot be accidentally discarded. As such, these devices are classed as PPE. ? EN 13138-1:2003 (E) 6 1 Scope The European Standard specifies safety requirements for construction, performance, sizing and marking for swimming aids intended to assist users with movement through the water whilst learning to swim or whilst learning part of a swimming stroke. It also gives methods of test for verification of these requirements. This European Standard, Part 1, applies to devices that are designed to be worn or are carried on the body and which have either inherent buoyancy or can be inflated. It includes Class B devices intended to introduce the wearer to the range of swimming strokes. It does not apply to buoyancy aids, lifejackets or aquatic toys. 2 Normative References This European Standard incorporates by dated or undated reference, provisions from other publications. These normative references are cited at the appropriate places in the text and the publications are listed hereafter. For dated references, subsequent amendments to or revisions of any of these publications apply to this European Standard only when incorporated in it by amendment or revision. For undated references the latest edition of the publication referred to applies (including amendments). EN 71-1:1998, Safety of toys Part 1: Mechanical and physical properties EN 71-3, Safety of toys Part 3: Migration of certain elements EN 393:1993, Lifejackets and personal buoyancy aids Buoyancy aids 50 N EN 20105-A02, Textiles Tests for colour fastness - Part A02: Grey scale for assessing change in colour (ISO 105-A02:1993) EN ISO 105-E03:1996, Textiles - Tests for colour fastness - Part E03: Colour fastness to chlorinated water (swimming pool water) (ISO 105-E03:1994) EN ISO 105-E04, Textiles Tests for colour fastness - Part E04: Colour fastness to perspiration (ISO 105- E04:1994) EN ISO 105-X12, Textiles Tests for colour fastness - Part X12: Colour fastness to rubbing (ISO 105-X12:1993) EN ISO 3696:1995, Water for analytical laboratory use Specification and test methods (ISO 3696:1987) 3 Terms and definitions For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply: 3.1 swimming aid garment or device which when worn or held correctly, and used in water under constant supervision, will provide the buoyancy required to become familiar with movement through the water, assist with learning to swim or to improve swimming strokes. 3.2 buoyancy resultant upthrust of a swimming aid when totally submerged in fresh water with its uppermost part just below the water surface. 3.3 inherent buoyancy upthrust provided by material which is less dense than water or by sealed chambers filled with air or gas. ? EN 13138-1:2003 (E) 7 3.4 class A devices device intended to provide sufficient buoyancy to allow the wearer to become familiar with the water environment. They are not intended to specifically facilitate learning swimming strokes. They will keep a passive wearer in such a position that the base of the chin is at or above the water surface. 3.5 class B devices device intended to be worn and to provide the wearer with buoyancy appropriate to the needs of the swimming stroke that is being taught. The buoyancy will be sufficient to allow the body to adopt a near normal position in the water appropriate to the stroke or part of the stroke. 3.6 class C devices device intended to be held in the hands, by the body or between the legs in order to assist with improving specific elements of a swimming stroke. 3.7 devices to be worn device having either inherent buoyancy or which may be inflated to provide buoyancy and which is firmly attached to the body in such a way that it cannot be accidentally removed and so as to provide the wearer with positive buoyancy. 3.8 devices to be held device held