Glossary

The terms inspectors, designers and the people who sign off an investment use. Explained the way we explain them on the phone to head teachers and village leaders.

EN 1176 (PN-EN 1176)

The European safety standard for playground equipment, adopted in Poland as PN-EN 1176. It has several parts: a general one and separate parts for swings, slides, rotating equipment, and for inspection and maintenance. Public buyers and insurers require compliance with it. More: EN 1176 certificate.

PN-EN 1177

The standard for impact attenuating surfacing. It sets out which surfacing, and how thick, is required for a given free fall height.

Safety zone

The area around a unit that has to stay clear of obstacles. For carousels it is the footprint of the unit plus 2 metres on every side. No fence, bench, bin, tree or other unit may stand inside it. More: playground safety zone.

Impact area

A term used in technical data sheets interchangeably with the safety zone. Usually given as a dimension in centimetres, for example 550 × 550 cm.

Rotating equipment

The term PN-EN 1176-5 uses for equipment whose main movement is rotation around a vertical axis, which means carousels of every type. That part of the standard adds, among other things, the size of the safety zone and the clearance under the rotating platform to the general requirements. Our three carousels, round, cross and disc, are tested as rotating equipment.

Free fall height

The distance from the highest place a child can stand or sit to the ground. It decides whether impact attenuating surfacing has to go under the unit; the threshold is 60 cm. Platform carousels usually come in at around 45 cm.

Free fall height of a carousel

For a carousel it is measured from the platform or the seat, the highest place a child can stand or sit, down to the ground. For platform carousels that is usually about 45 cm, below the 60 cm threshold at which the standard calls for impact attenuating surfacing, so such a carousel can stand on grass. We confirm the value for a given model, for example the round carousel Trzmiel, before you order.

HIC

Head Injury Criterion. A numerical measure of how well a surface cushions a fall, reported in surfacing tests to PN-EN 1177.

Impact attenuating surfacing

Ground that limits the consequences of a fall: sand, gravel of the right grade, wood chips or a polyurethane mat. Grass and compacted ground do not count.

Post-installation inspection

A check of the unit once it is installed, before it is opened for use. It confirms that assembly followed the manual and the safety zone is kept. It ends with a report that goes into the handover file.

Operational inspection

An inspection carried out every one to three months. It checks that the unit works, the condition of the joints and the wear of moving parts.

Annual main inspection

A yearly check of the technical condition of the whole playground, including foundations and corrosion. Carried out by a suitably trained person, with the result entered in the playground records.

Certificate

A document from a testing body confirming that the design of the unit meets the standard. It covers the design, not a particular unit after two seasons of use.

Declaration of conformity

The maker's statement that the unit delivered matches the tested design. At handover it is usually needed together with the certificate.

Powder coating

A coating applied electrostatically and cured in an oven. Longer lasting than spray paint, resistant to weather and scratches. The standard finish on steel equipment.

Galvanising

Coating steel with a layer of zinc, which protects against corrosion even where the paint gets damaged. Used on the most exposed parts, such as a carousel platform.

Round carousel

A carousel with a round platform, a handrail all the way round and a central post, usually with a steering wheel. Children sit on the seats or stand at the rail, so it takes the most children of the three types. In our range it is the Karuzela Kołowa Trzmiel, load up to 200 kg, for ages 3–14.

Cross carousel

A carousel with four seats set crosswise on a low steel frame. The separate seats make it easy to count how many children are riding, and the low build lets a three year old get on alone, which is why it most often goes to nurseries. In our range: Karuzela Krzyżowa, load up to 160 kg, ages 3–12.

Disc carousel

A carousel with a round perforated sheet platform and handrails. The holes let water and leaves through, so the unit needs the least cleaning and often stands on municipal and village playgrounds. In our range: Karuzela Tarczowa, load up to 180 kg, ages 3–14.

Seesaw

A balance swing for two children: a beam on a central post with a seat and handles at each end. Most often ordered together with the round carousel as a pair for two age groups. In our range: Huśtawka Ważka, load up to 100 kg, ages 3–10.

Village fund (fundusz sołecki)

Money set aside in a Polish municipality's budget whose use is decided by the village meeting. The application goes to the mayor by 30 September of the year before the spend.

Public procurement threshold

The amount from which the procedures of the Polish Public Procurement Law apply. From 1 January 2026 it is 170 000 zł net (previously 130 000 zł). Buying a single unit falls well below it, but the buyer's internal procurement rules still apply.