oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026

• Abstract:

  This document specifies minimum requirements for the design and performance of foldable patient transfer chairs, which are used for the conveyance of patients to and/or from road ambulances. It aims to ensure patient safety and to minimize the physical effort required by staff operating the equipment.

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 30-Jul-2026
• ICS: 11.160 - First aid
• ICS: 43.160 - Special purpose vehicles
• Technical Committee: VAZ - Healthcare
• Current Stage: 4020 - Public enquire (PE) (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 05-Jun-2026
• Due Date: 23-Oct-2026
• Completion Date: 03-Aug-2026
• Directive: 2017/745 - Regulation (EU) 2017/745 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2017 on medical devices, amending Directive 2001/83/EC, Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and repealing Council Directives 90/385/EEC and 93/42/EEC
• Mandate: M/575 - Medical devices in support of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 and in vitro diagnostic medical devices in support of Regulation (EU) 2017/746
• Mandate: M/575 AMD 2 - Medical devices in support of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 and in vitro diagnostic medicial devices in support of Regulation (EU) 2017746
• Ref Project: prEN 1865-4 - Patient handling equipment used in ambulances - Part 4: Foldable patient transfer chair

• Referred By: SIST EN ISO 21388-2:2024 - Acoustics - Hearing Aid Fitting Management - Part 2: Tele-services as part of hearing aid fitting management (tHAFM) (ISO 21388-2:2024)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Revises: SIST EN 1865-4:2012 - Patient handling equipment used in road ambulances - Part 4: Foldable patient transfer chair
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2023

oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 is the Slovenian adoption of the draft European Standard prEN 1865-4 from CEN. It specifies minimum design and performance requirements for foldable patient transfer chairs used to move patients to and/or from road ambulances, with the goals of patient safety and reduced physical effort for staff.

What does oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 specify?

oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 specifies requirements for a foldable patient transfer chair as ambulance patient-handling equipment. The document focuses on the chair’s design, dimensions, load-bearing ability, restraint system, flammability, deformation resistance, and locking behavior, so buyers and manufacturers can judge whether a product is suited to patient transfer in ambulance use.

Annex	What it covers
Annex ZA	Relationship between this European Standard and the General Safety and Performance Requirements of Regulation (EU) 2017/745

The document is organized into Clause 1 Scope, Clause 2 Normative references, Clause 3 Terms and definitions, and Clause 4 Requirements. Annex ZA links the standard to medical device legislation, and the bibliography lists related standards and regulations.

What are the key requirements of oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026?

oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 sets minimum requirements that matter in everyday ambulance work: the chair must help with steps, keep the patient secure, withstand load, and stay stable in use. Several clauses also matter for maintenance and procurement because they define what a compliant product must physically provide.

• Step assistance and safe handling - Clause 4.1. The chair must have a mechanism that assists descent and/or ascent of steps, which reduces manual lifting by staff. Handles must lock in the extended position, and the equipment must avoid sharp edges or deformation that could injure people or damage other equipment.
• Open-position dimensions - Clause 4.2. The chair must meet minimum seat and backrest dimensions in the open position. In practice, this sets a size baseline for patient support and helps purchasers compare products on usable seating space.
• Mass and loading capacity - Clauses 4.3 and 4.4. The chair mass is limited, and the loading capacity must be at least 200 kg. That matters because a lighter chair is easier to carry, while the load rating tells users the patient weight the chair is designed to support.
• Frame and mobility - Clause 4.5. The frame must be sturdy yet lightweight, with non-slip handles on the lower and top frame, a footrest, at least two rear wheels, and the ability to store the chair folded. This directly affects handling on stairs, in corridors, and in ambulance storage.
• Patient restraint system - Clause 4.6. The restraint system must secure the patient but still allow treatment, and it must have a quick release. For practice, that means the patient stays controlled during transport while staff can still access the patient if needed.
• Flammability - Clause 4.7. The chair must show no progressive smouldering or flaming ignition when tested to EN 597-1:2015. This is the document’s fire-safety check for upholstered or combustible materials.
• Strength after overload and use - Clause 4.8. The frame, backrest, and lying-sitting area must not remain deformed after the specified loading and rolling verification. This is the durability check that shows whether the chair can survive real handling without permanent damage.
• Locking - Clause 4.9. Hinges and locks must not open spontaneously or bend. In practice, this reduces the risk of collapse during lifting, stair movement, or transport.

Annex ZA also maps parts of the standard to the General Safety and Performance Requirements of Regulation (EU) 2017/745, which matters for medical device conformity work.

What terms does oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 define?

• Foldable patient transfer chair - A device designed to transfer a patient in a sitting position to the road ambulance, but not to transport the patient within the ambulance.
• Patient restraint-system - The system that secures the patient during use while still allowing treatment.
• Loading capacity - The maximum patient load the chair is designed to carry in service.
• Backrest lying-sitting area - The part of the chair that supports the patient’s back and seated body during transfer.
• General Safety and Performance Requirements (GSPR) - The requirements in Regulation (EU) 2017/745 that Annex ZA maps to the clauses of this standard.
• Medical Device Regulation (MDR) - Regulation (EU) 2017/745, the legal framework referenced in Annex ZA for medical devices.

Who uses oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026?

oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 is used by manufacturers and designers of ambulance patient-handling equipment, especially foldable patient transfer chairs. It is also useful for ambulance operators, procurement teams, quality managers, and test laboratories that need to specify, verify, or compare products for ambulance transport. Regulatory and conformity-assessment teams use Annex ZA when checking alignment with EU medical device requirements.

What changed in oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 from the previous edition?

oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 supersedes EN 1865-4:2012. The foreword states these main changes:

• the main title of the EN 1865 series was updated from “road ambulances” to “ambulances”
• normative references were updated
• the flammability clause title was shortened to “Flammability”
• clause numbering was updated throughout
• Annex ZA was revised from MDD to MDR
• mass was raised from 15 kg to 17 kg
• loading capacity was raised from 150 kg to 200 kg
• the word “label” was removed while the intent stayed the same
• the clause on seat and backrest was deleted
• requirements were aligned with other parts of the series
• verification methods were moved into Clause 4
• the marking clause was deleted

Which standards are used with oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026?

Reference	What it contributes
EN 597-1:2015	Test method for checking ignitability by a smouldering cigarette, used for the flammability requirement in Clause 4.7
prEN 1865-1:2026	General part of the EN 1865 family for stretcher systems and patient handling equipment

The foreword also places this document within the EN 1865 family, alongside parts covering power assisted stretchers, heavy duty stretchers, stretcher support, powered chairs, and an isolation transport system under development.

What does the oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 document contain?

oSIST prEN 1865-4:2026 contains one main requirements clause with subclauses for general design, dimensions, mass, loading capacity, frame, restraint system, flammability, deformation resistance, and locking. Clause 4.8.2 provides a practical load-and-roll verification procedure, so users can test whether the chair keeps its shape after heavy loading and movement over typical surfaces.

Annex ZA contains two correspondence tables linking this standard to Regulation (EU) 2017/745 and, for certain machinery cases, to Directive 2006/42/EC. The bibliography points readers to the related EN 1865 part 1, EN ISO 14971:2019, and the relevant EU regulations.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-julij-2026
Oprema za ravnanje s pacienti v reševalnih vozilih - 4. del: Zložljiv prenosni stol za
paciente
Patient handling equipment used in ambulances - Part 4: Foldable patient transfer chair
Krankentransportmittel in Rettungsdienstfahrzeugen - Teil 4: Klappbare
Patiententragesessel
Équipements pour le transport de patients dans les ambulances - Partie 4 : Chaise de
transfert mécanique pliante
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 1865-4
ICS:
11.160 Prva pomoč First aid
43.160 Vozila za posebne namene Special purpose vehicles
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
May 2026
ICS 11.160 Will supersede EN 1865-4:2012
English Version
Patient handling equipment used in ambulances - Part 4:
Foldable patient transfer chair
Équipements pour le transport de patients dans les Krankentransportmittel in Rettungsdienstfahrzeugen -
ambulances - Partie 4 : Chaise de transfert pliante Teil 4: Klappbare Patiententragesessel
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 239.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, 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.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN 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, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 1865-4:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Requirements . 5
4.1 General. 5
4.2 Dimensions. 5
4.3 Mass . 6
4.4 Loading capacity . 6
4.5 Frame . 6
4.6 Restraint system . 6
4.7 Flammability . 6
4.8 Deformation of the frame and backrest lying-sitting area . 6
4.9 Locking. 6
Annex ZA (informative) Relationship between this European Standard and the General Safety
and Performance Requirements of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 aimed to be covered . 7
Bibliography . 9

European foreword
This document (prEN 1865-4:2026) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 239 “Rescue
systems”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 1865-4:2012.
Compared to EN 1865-4:2012 the following main technical changes were made:
a) Main title of EN 1865 series changed from “Patient handling equipment used in road ambulances” to
“Patient handling equipment used in ambulances”;
b) Normative references updated;
c) Contents updated to change titles of “Flammability – Toxicity of Burning Gasses” to “Flammability”;
d) Clause numbering updated throughout the whole document;
e) Annex ZA revised to show relationship to Medical Device Regulations (MDR) instead of Medical
Device Directive (MDD);
f) Mass (4.3) raised from 15 kg to 17 kg;
g) Loading capacity (4.4) raised from 150 kg to 200 kg;
h) The use of the word label removed, intent of requirement remains unchanged (4.4);
i) Clause on Seat and backrest (4.6) deleted;
j) requirements aligned with other parts of this standard series;
k) Verification methods in Clause 5 moved into Clause 4 requirements that previously referenced them.
In these cases, the requirement and test methods were combined;
l) Clause on “Marking” (5) deleted.
This document has been prepared under a standardization request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
For the relationship with EU Legislation, see informative Annex ZA, which is an integral part of this
document.
This document is a part of EN 1865, Patient handling equipment used in ambulances, which consists of the
following parts:
— Part 1: Specification for general stretcher systems and patient handling equipment;
— Part 2: Power assisted stretcher;
— Part 3: Heavy duty stretcher;
— Part 4: Foldable patient transfer chair (this document);
— Part 5: Stretcher support;
— Part 6: Powered chairs;
— Part 7: Isolation transport system (preliminary work item under development).
1 Scope
This document specifies minimum requirements for the design and performance of foldable patient
transfer chairs, which are used for the conveyance of patients to and/or from road ambulances. It aims
to ensure patient safety and to minimize the physical effort required by staff operating the equipment.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 597-1:2015, Furniture — Assessment of the ignitability of mattresses and upholstered bed bases — Part
1: Ignition source smouldering cigarette
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
3.1
foldable patient transfer ch
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