National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 13120:2009+A1:2014 incorporating corrigendum February 2015. It supersedes BS EN 13120:2009 which is withdrawn.

The start and finish of text introduced or altered by amendment is indicated in the text by tags. Tags indicating changes to CEN text carry the number of the CEN amendment. For example, text altered by CEN amendment A1 is indicated by .

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted by Technical Committee B/538, Doors, windows, shutters, hardware and curtain walling, to Subcommittee B/538/3, Domestic shutters and blinds.

A list of organizations represented on this subcommittee can be obtained on request to its secretary.

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 cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 28 February 2009

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 22 November 2008 and includes Amendment 1 approved by CEN on 27 December 2013.

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 CEN-CENELEC 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 CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom.

Foreword

This European Standard (EN 13120:2009+A1:2014) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 33 “Doors, windows, shutters, building hardware and curtain walling”, the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.

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 August 2014, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by August 2014.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CEN [and/or CENELEC] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document supersedes EN 13120:2009.

This document includes Amendment 1 approved by CEN on 27 December 2013.

The start and finish of text introduced or altered by amendment is indicated in the text by tags .

This European Standard 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.

This European Standard is part of a series of standards dealing with internal blinds and shutters for buildings as defined in EN 12216.

This European Standard specifies the requirements for internal blinds, the levels of performance and, where applicable, the associated classes.

It is completed by test standards as well as by the standards referring to specific performance requirements.

Annex A and C are informative. Annex B is 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, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Introduction

The performances given in this European Standard, which illustrate suitability for use, are required for internal blinds detailed in the scope (intrinsic performances).

Other performances are only required as a complement (specific performances) for specific products and are described in other European Standards. Some important specific performances relating to thermal and visual aspects are described in EN 14501. These standards state classifications and test methods for the following properties:

for thermal comfort:
- solar factor (see Clause 11 of the present standard);
- secondary heat transfer factor;
- direct solar transmittance;
for visual comfort:
- glare control;
- night privacy;
- visual contact with the outside;
- opacity control;
- daylight utilisation;
- rendering of colours.

NOTE 1 Health and Safety regulations require that the workplace receives as much natural light as is reasonably practical (see EU Directive 89/654/EEC) and protection of operators working with VDU screens against glare and reflected light (see EU Directive 89/391/EEC).

NOTE 2 Reaction to fire of internal blinds is not covered by this standard. The performance of the products shall be evaluated according to the relevant standards (e.g. EN 13772). Minimal performance may be required by national regulations.

A list of these documents is given in the Bibliography.

This European Standard is a type C standard as stated in EN ISO 12100.

The machinery concerned and the extent to which hazards, hazardous situations and events are covered are indicated in the scope of this document.

When provisions of this type C standard are different from those which are stated in type A or B standards, the provisions of this type C standard take precedence over the provisions of the other standards, for machines that have been designed and built according to the provisions of this type C standard.

With the aim of clarifying the intentions of the standard and avoiding doubts on reading, the following assumptions were made related to power operated products:

negotiations occur between the manufacturer and the purchaser concerning particular conditions for use and places for use such as nursery schools or buildings for disabled people which need specific risk analysis;
the risk analysis carried out in this European Standard and the significant hazards listed in Annex B presume a normal use or normally predictable use e.g. which excludes deliberate and conscious risks taken by the user (see Interpretative Document “Safety in use” of EU Construction Products Directive).

1 Scope

This European Standard specifies the requirements which internal blinds shall fulfil when fitted to a building. It deals also with the significant machinery hazards relating to construction, transport, installation, operation and maintenance of internal blinds (see list of significant hazards in Annex B).

It applies to internal blinds, whatever their design and the nature of the materials used, as listed below:

venetian blind: free hanging, guided, non-retractable;
roller blind: free hanging, side guided, with tensioned fabric;
vertical blind: free hanging, with top and bottom track, sloping headrail;
pleated and honeycomb blind: free hanging, guided, laterally moving, tensioned;
Roman Shades;
Austrian / Festoon blinds;
panel blinds;
plantation shutters;
roll-up blinds.

These products may be operated manually, with or without compensating springs, or by means of electric motors (power operated products).

This standard does not apply to draperies and insect screens. It does not apply to blinds in sealed glazed units with the exception of requirements related to protection from strangulation.

NOTE Insect screens may be installed either internally or externally. However, because they are always exposed to external conditions in use ( windows/doors opened), insects screens are covered by EN 13561 applying to external blinds and awnings.

Noise aspects are not treated in this standard because this is not considered a safety issue.

This standard is not applicable to internal blinds which are manufactured before the date of publication of this standard.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Operating effort

4.1 General

4.2 Determination

4.3 Performance requirement

5 Design of the operating mechanism − Diagrams HPV ("human pull value")

5.1 General

5.2 Performance requirement

6 Misuse

6.1 Curtain and slats

6.2 Determination

6.3 Performance requirement

7 Mechanical endurance (repeated operation cycles)

7.1 General

7.2 Determination

7.3 Performance requirement

7.4 Classes of endurance

8 Safety in use

8.1 General

8.2 Protection from strangulation

8.3 Guided power operated internal blinds — Protection from crushing

9 Hygiene, health and environment

10 Thermal resistance

10.1 General

10.2 Determination

10.3 Performance requirement

11 Total solar energy transmittance g_tot

11.1 General

11.2 Determination

11.3 Performance requirement

12 Appearance

12.1 General

12.2 Flexibility of slats (venetian internal blinds only)

12.3 Form tolerances

12.4 Dimensional tolerances

12.5 Horizontal and vertical deviation tolerances

13 Durability

13.1 General

13.2 Colour fastness of fabrics

13.3 Tensile resistance of fabrics

13.4 Resistance to corrosion

13.5 Dimensional stability

14 Handling and storage

14.1 General

14.2 Determination

14.3 Performance requirement

15 Information for installation, use and maintenance

15.1 General

15.2 Warning notice

15.3 Accompanying documents (in particular the instruction for use)

16 Marking

16.1 All internal blinds

16.2 Additional requirements for power operated internal blinds

Bibliography

BS EN 13120:2009+A1:2014

Internal blinds. Performance requirements including safety

Current

Published:

28 Feb 2009