National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 71‑8:2018. It supersedes BS EN 71‑8:2011,which is withdrawn.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee CW/15,Safety of toys.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request toits secretary.

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of acontract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legalobligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy andStrategy Committee on 28 February 2018.

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 15 October 2017.

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, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom.

European foreword

This document (EN 71‑8:2018) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 52 “Safety of toys”, the secretariat of which is held by DS.

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of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by July 2018, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by July 2018.

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

This document supersedes EN 71‑8:2011.

This European Standard has been prepared under a standardization request M/445 given to CEN by the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association, and supports essential requirements of EU Directive 2009/48/EC.

For relationship with EU Directive 2009/48/EC, see informative Annex ZA, which is an integral part of this European Standard.

Annex B provides details of significant technical changes between this European Standard and the previous edition.

This European Standard constitutes the eighth part of the European Standard on safety of toys. It should be read in conjunction with Part 1.

This European Standard, Safety of toys, consists of the following parts:

Part 1: Mechanical and physical properties;
Part 2: Flammability;
Part 3: Migration of certain elements;
Part 4: Experimental sets for chemistry and related activities;
Part 5: Chemical toys (sets) other than experimental sets;
Part 7: Finger paints — Requirements and test methods;
Part 8: Activity toys for domestic use;
Part 9: Organic chemical compounds — Requirements;
Part 10: Organic chemical compounds — Sample preparation and extraction;
Part 11: Organic chemical compounds — Methods of analysis;
Part 12: N-Nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances;
Part 13: Olfactory board games, cosmetic kits and gustative games;
Part 14: Trampolines for domestic use.

NOTE 1 In addition to the above parts of EN 71, the following guidance documents have been published: CEN Technical Report CEN/TR 15071, Safety of toys — National translations of warnings and instructions for use in theEN 71series, and CEN Technical Report CEN/TR 15371 (all parts), Safety of toys — Interpretations.

NOTE 2 Different legal requirements may exist in non-EU countries.

NOTE 3 Words in italics are defined in Clause 3 (Terms and definitions).

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: 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, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

1 Scope

This European Standard specifies requirements and test methods for activity toys for domestic use often attached to or incorporating a crossbeam, and similar toys intended for children under 14 years to play on or in and often intended to bear the mass of one or more children.

This European Standard also specifies requirements for:

separately sold accessories for, and components of activity toys;
separately sold swing elements that are ready for use on or in combination with an activity toy;
construction packages for activity toys including components used to build activity toys according to a scheduled building instruction.

The scope of this European Standard excludes:

playground equipment intended for public use dealt with in the EN 1176 series;
bow-mounted rocking activity toys such as rocking horses and similar toys, which are covered by specific requirements in EN 71‑1;
toy pools with maximum depth of water over 400 mm measured, between the overflow level and the deepest point within the pool;
NOTE 1 For information regarding the classification of pools as toys see European Commission guidance document No. 8 from Bibliographical Entry [1].
pools with maximum depth of water over 400 mm measured, between the overflow level and the deepest point within the pool, without play elements covered e.g. by the EN 16582 series or EN 16927.
NOTE 2 There is an enhanced risk of drowning in toy pools where the depth of water is in excess of 400 mm.
trampolines for domestic use dealt with in EN 71‑14.
inflatable activity toys (except paddling pools).

See also A.1.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Requirements

4.1 General (see A.2)

4.2 Barriers, handrails and ladders and similar means of access to activity toys

4.3 Entrapment (see A.7)

4.4 Stability of activity toys other than slides, swings and activity toys with crossbeams, and see-saws

4.5 Slides (see A.8)

4.6 Swings (see A.10)

4.7 See-saws

4.8 Carousels and rocking activity toys (see A.12)

4.9 Paddling pools

5 Warnings, markings, and instructions

5.1 Warnings and markings

5.2 Assembly and installation instructions

5.3 Maintenance

6 Test methods

6.1 General

6.2 Stability

6.3 Static strength

6.4 Dynamic strength of barriers and handrails (see 4.2.1)

6.5 Test for head and neck entrapment (see 4.3.1)

6.6 Toggle test (see 4.3.2)

6.7 Measurements of sliding and run-out sections on slides (see 4.5.4)

6.8 Diameter of ropes and other means of suspension (see 4.1.6)

6.9 Determination of impact from swing elements (see 4.6.8.2)

6.10 Static load test for paddling pools with non-inflatable walls (see 4.9.1)

6.11 Measurement of the height of falling protection of swings with double seats and examination of gaps between the swing seat and the falling protection

Bibliography

BS EN 71-8:2018

Safety of toys - Activity toys for domestic use

Published:

28 Feb 2018

Withdrawn:

30 Jan 2026