BS EN 16228-4:2014+A1:2021

What is BS EN 16228-4 - drilling and foundation equipment safety about?  

The construction and mining sectors utilize drilling equipment and procedures to drill into both rock and soil. BS EN 16228-4 is a European Standard that discusses safety requirements for drilling and foundation equipment for the safe and proper operation, maintenance, and service of the drilling and foundation equipment.

BS EN 16228-4 is the fourth part of the ‘Drilling and foundation equipment – Safety’ multi-series; and deals with all significant hazards for foundation equipment; associated with the whole lifetime of the machine.

Some foundation equipment may have an additional rotary head with torque less than 35 kNm for pre-drilling applications; this equipment is covered by BS EN 16228-4.

The requirements of BS EN 16228-4 are complementary to the common requirements of EN 16228-1:2014+A1:2021.

Note 1: BS EN 16228-4 does not repeat the requirements of EN 16228-1:2014+A1:2021, but adds or replaces the requirements for application for foundation equipment.

Note 2: Machines with one or more of the following characteristics are not covered by BS EN 16228-4, but are covered by EN 16228-2:2014+A1:2021:

• Machines that have a main rotary head torque of less than 35 kNm
• Machines that have multi-directional drilling capability
• Machines for which adding and removing rods or digging and drilling tools etc. is usually required during the installation/extraction process

Who is BS EN 16228-4 - drilling and foundation equipment safety for? 

BS EN 16228-4 on drilling and foundation equipment safety is useful for: 

• The construction industry
• The mining industry
• Builders / real estate developers
• Contractors
• Drilling and foundation equipment manufacturers
• Entities involved in commissioning, maintenance, and operation of drilling and foundation equipment
• Regulatory bodies / Health and safety bodies
• Site managers 
• Machine operators and trainers
• Supervisors

Why should you use BS EN 16228-4 - drilling and foundation equipment safety?  

The activity of drilling has inherent potential safety hazards which need to be addressed. The BS EN 16228 series intends to mitigate these risks. The machinery concerned and the extent to which hazards are covered are indicated in the scope of BS EN 16228-4.

In BS EN 16228-4 the general term “foundation equipment” covers several different types of machines used for installation and/or extracting by drilling (machines with a rotary torque greater than 35 kNm), driving, vibrating, pushing, pulling, or a combination of techniques, or any other way, of:

• Longitudinal foundation elements
• Soil improvement by vibrating and soil mixing techniques
• Vertical drainage

Typically, the process of foundation techniques involves the installation of longitudinal elements such as concrete piles, steel beams, tubes, and sheet piles, injection elements as tubes and hoses, and casings for cast in situ.

BS EN 16228-4 provides guidance for foundation equipment in order to perform piling and foundation operations. BS EN 16228-4 also provides specific requirements on information for use, such as instruction handbooks and marking.

BS EN 16228-4 is useful to carry out adjustment, maintenance, lubrication, repair, cleaning, and service operations for the drilling and foundation equipment.

BS EN 16228-4 guidelines help you during maintenance, as well as transportation to and from the worksite. BS EN 16228-4 enables you to mitigate risks and safely accomplish a wide range of complicated jobs.