Rules for playground and amusement equipment

Do you have playground or amusement equipment on your premises, for example in your (school) playground, or in your amusement park? Do you operate playground or amusement equipment, for instance at a fair? Or do you manufacture, sell, or rent out such devices? You must ensure that the playground and amusement equipment is safe. You must be able to prove this.

Product safety rules for playground and amusement equipment

Playground and amusement equipment is intended for entertainment and leisure. Playground equipment is powered by human muscle power or gravity, such as trampolines, bouncy castles, swings, or slides. Amusement devices are powered by a motor, such as bumper cars, merry-go-rounds, or roller coasters.

Playground and amusement equipment must meet the general European product safety requirements. As the manufacturer, distributor, or importer you are responsible for the product’s safety. Check what you need to do to offer safe products within the EU. In addition, the playground and amusement equipment must comply with the safety requirements of the Dutch Attractions and Playground Apparatus (Commodities Act) Decree 2023 (Warenwetbesluit attractie- en speeltoestellen 2023, WAS 2023, in Dutch).

Small amusement equipment and playground equipment at childminding locations

The safety requirements in the Attractions and Playground Apparatus Decree (WAS 2023) do not apply to small amusement equipment for a maximum of 3 children. For example, coin-operated children's rides at supermarkets. They also do not apply to playground equipment in childminder’s homes and gardens or in private homes and gardens.

Manufacturing playground and amusement equipment

Do you manufacture playground and amusement equipment? You must design and manufacture your equipment according to the rules set in the Attractions and Playground Apparatus (Commodities Act) Decree 2023 (in Dutch).

Product information file

As a manufacturer, you must create a product information file (technical file). The file must include, among other things, detailed and complete drawings with calculations, test results, and material certificates. You must also provide a Dutch-language user manual for each device stating all relevant information for installing and using the device safely, and instructions for inspection and maintenance. For example, instructions for anchoring an air cushion.

You must put the following information indelibly on the equipment:

• name and address of the manufacturer or importer
• serial or type indication
• serial number

As a manufacturer, you must keep the technical file for an amusement ride during the technical lifetime of the device. You must keep the technical file for playground equipment for 20 years after the last production date of the equipment.

Inspection of playground and amusement equipment

As a manufacturer of importer, you must have your new or modified playground and amusement equipment inspected by a designated inspection body (aangewezen keuringsinstelling, AKI) before you bring it to market. There are AKIs for playground equipment and AKIs for amusement equipment (in Dutch). After the inspection, you will receive a certificate of approval. Certificates from certain European inspection bodies are also accepted.

As the rental company or operator, you must check that the equipment has a proper certificate of approval (in Dutch). In the Netherlands, playground and amusement equipment without a certificate of approval may not be used. You must keep the inspection report of the equipment’s first inspection during its entire lifetime.

As the rental company or operator, you must have amusement rides regularly re-inspected by a designated inspection body (AKI, in Dutch). The certificate of approval states how often re-inspection is required.

Playground equipment does not need to be re-inspected as long as you do not make any major changes to the equipment.

Report new amusement devices

Do you assemble or install an amusement device for the first time in the Netherlands? Then you must notify the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit, NVWA, in Dutch, forms also available in English and German). This does not apply to small amusement machines intended for a maximum of 3 persons, and for playground equipment.

If the device is no longer in your possession, for example because you have sold or destroyed it, you must deregister it (in Dutch, forms also available in English and German). Registration and deregistration of a device is mandatory.

Environment and planning permit for playground or amusement equipment

In some cases, you need an environment and planning permit (omgevingsvergunning) if you want to install a piece of playground or amusement equipment. This depends on the municipality’s environment plan and the height of the equipment.

Do you want to know if you need an environment and planning permit? Go to the Environment and Planning Portal (Omgevingsloket, in Dutch) and do the permit check. In the Environment and Planning Portal you can see which rules apply in your municipality, province, or regional water authority. You can then use the Environment and Planning Portal to apply online for an environment and planning permit or submit a notification.

Please note that rules from the General Municipal By-law (Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening, APV) may also be applicable. For example, on the deployment of security or first aid helpers.

Keeping a logbook

Do you operate or rent out playground or amusement equipment? For each device you must keep a logbook (in Dutch). This file must include, among other things:

• who installed the equipment
• the characteristics of the equipment
• how you perform maintenance on the equipment
• which inspections you have done and what the results were
• information about accidents

Playground and amusement equipment rental

Do you rent out playground or amusement equipment? You must include several documents (in Dutch):

• a Dutch-language user manual
• the certificate of approval or a copy of this certificate
• a copy of the part of the logbook that contains the results of the last inspection and for how long the last certificate of approval is valid
• a form to report accidents with injury

These documents must be kept with the equipment at all times by the operator. The renter of the equipment must be able to show these documents at the site of the equipment. You must also inform the renter where they can examine the entire logbook.

If you rent out equipment, you must ensure that the equipment is installed and dismantled correctly, and that the equipment is safe.

Playground and amusement equipment from abroad

Do you want to operate, rent out, or sell playground or amusement equipment from abroad in the Netherlands (in Dutch)? Then you must have your equipment inspected by a designated inspection body (AKI). If the equipment is already tested and provided with a certificate by a designated body in another EEA country, the Dutch AKI will check the report and decide if further inspection is needed. If an item of playground or amusement equipment is already permitted in another EU Member State, the Dutch government may only prohibit its sale in the Netherlands in exceptional cases.

Do you want to temporarily assemble or install playground or amusement equipment from abroad in the Netherlands, for example at a fair? Then you must notify NVWA at least 48 hours before opening to the public.

Report serious accidents

Has an accident occurred with your equipment in which someone has been injured or killed? You must report any serious accident involving playground or amusement equipment immediately to NVWA.

Other rules on playground and amusement equipment

The website of the NVWA offers information on the rules about playground and attraction equipment (in Dutch). Such as safety requirements and how the NVWA supervises (in Dutch).