This European Standard specifies the definitions and requirements for buried manholes and inspection chambers installed to a maximum depth of 6 m from ground level to the invert of the main chamber and manufactured from unplasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC-U), polypropylene (PP), polypropylene with mineral modifier (PP-MD) or polyethylene (PE). These products are intended for use in pedestrian or vehicular traffic areas and underground installations conforming to the general requirements given in EN 476 and are used outside the building structure (application area code “U”). They are therefore marked accordingly with a “U”. Such products are also deemed to meet the requirements of EN 13598‑1 for application area U without the need for further testing. If additionally marked application area D then these products must additionally be tested to show compliance to the elevated temperature cycling requirement of Clause 10 of EN 13598‑1.

This European Standard is only applicable to those chamber / manhole items where the manufacturer has clearly stated in the documentation how the components shall be assembled to create a complete manhole or inspection chamber.

The inspection chambers covered by this European Standard comprise the following:

The inspection chamber / manhole can be manufactured by various methods e.g. injection moulding, rotational moulding, low-pressure moulding or fabricated from components made in accordance with other standards.

The jointing of components can be achieved using: