BS EN 13204:2016

What is BS EN 13204 – Safety requirements of hydraulic rescue tools about? 

BS EN 13204 is a European Standard that deals with safety and performance requirements for double-acting hydraulic rescue tools manufactured after the date of publication. The aim is to assist while extracting the casualties or to create a working space for paramedical services taking the local conditions into account. 

BS EN 13204 is applicable to double-acting hydraulic rescue tool systems which are intended for use by the firefighting and rescue services, principally for cutting through, spreading, or pushing apart the structural parts of road vehicles, ships, trains, aircraft, and building structures involved in accidents. 

BS EN 13204 deals with all significant hazards, hazardous situations or hazardous events relevant to the machinery, when it is used as intended and under conditions of misuse which are reasonably foreseeable by the manufacturer. 

BS EN 13204 is not applicable to additional requirements for: 

• Operation in severe conditions (e.g. extreme environmental conditions such as: temperatures outside the range –20 °C up to +55 °C, corrosive environment, tropical environment, contaminating environments, strong magnetic fields, potentially explosive atmospheres) 
• The risk directly arising from the means provided for the portability, transportability and mobility of double-acting hydraulic rescue tools during periods of their operation 

Note: For the EU/EEA other Directives can be applicable to the equipment in the scope, for example, the Electro-Magnetic Compatibility Directive 

Who is BS EN 13204- Safety requirements of hydraulic rescue tools for? 

BS EN 13204 on safety requirements of hydraulic rescue tools is relevant to: 

• Machine manufacturers 
• Health and safety bodies 
• Firefighting and rescue services 
• Market surveillance authorities 
• Accident prevention organizations 
• Regulatory bodies 
• Machine designers 

Why should you use BS EN 13204- Safety requirements of hydraulic rescue tools? 

Rescue tools and their accessories must comply with the safety and performance requirements for a successful response during an emergency. 

BS EN 13204 provides best industry guidance on safety Requirements and/or protective/risk reduction measures and verification. It also covers a list of potential hazards as being significant for the rescue tools and their accessories- within the scope of this document and which require specific action by the designer or manufacturer to eliminate or reduce the risk. 

The hazards include, but are not limited to: 

• Mechanical hazard 
• Electrical hazard 
• Thermal hazard 
• Noise hazard 
• Ergonomic hazard 

Thus, complying with BS EN 13204 you can minimize the impact of these hazards, and demonstrate the reliability, safety and performance of hydraulic rescue tools, such that they make a positive contribution to fire and rescue service operations.  

What’s changed since the last update? 

BS EN 13204:2016 supersedes BS EN 13204:2004+A1:2012, which is withdrawn. The significant technical changes are as follows: 

• Major editorial changes: 
• Clause 2: Normative references, updated 
• Clause 4: Requirements and Verification 
• Was Section Hazards, which is referenced to Annex A in 4.1.1. 
• Requirements are now followed directly by verification, these used to be separate Clause 5