SIST EN 16716:2017

Mountaineering equipment - Avalanche Airbag systems - Safety requirements and test methods

This European Standard specifies safety requirements and test methods for avalanche airbag systems to reduce the risk of being buried by a snow avalanche.
This European Standard does not consider personal protection against impact or cold temperature.

Bergsteigerausrüstung - Lawinen-Airbag-Systeme - Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren

Diese Europäische Norm legt Sicherheitsanforderungen und Prüfverfahren für Lawinen-Airbag-Systeme fest, um das Risiko zu vermindern von einer Schneelawine begraben zu werden.
Diese Europäische Norm behandelt nicht den persönlichen Schutz vor Stößen oder vor Kälte.

Équipement d’alpinisme et d'escalade - Systèmes de sac gonflable anti-ensevelissement lors d’une avalanche - Exigences de sécurité et méthodes d’essai

La présente Norme européenne spécifie les exigences de sécurité et les méthodes d’essai applicables aux systèmes de sac gonflable anti-ensevelissement lors d’une avalanche, afin de réduire le risque d’ensevelissement lors d’une avalanche de neige, pouvant entraîner des blessures, voire la mort.
La présente Norme européenne ne prend pas en considération la protection contre les chocs ou les basses températures.

Gorniška oprema - Sistem zračnih blazin za zaščito v snežnih plazovih - Varnostne zahteve in preskusne metode

Standard se uporablja za sisteme zračnih blazin za zaščito v snežnih plazovih, katerih namen je, da v primeru snežnega plazu zadržijo uporabnika nad snegom. Podaja varnostne zahteve in preskusne metode. (EN 16716)

General Information

• Status: Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 29-Sep-2015
• Publication Date: 12-Jun-2017
• ICS: 97.220.20 - Winter sports equipment
• ICS: 97.220.40 - Outdoor and water sports equipment
• Technical Committee: SPO - Sports
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 14-Mar-2017
• Due Date: 19-May-2017
• Completion Date: 13-Jun-2017
• Directive: 2016/425 - Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on personal protective equipment and repealing Council Directive 89/686/EEC
• Directive: 89/686/EEC - Council Directive 89/686/EEC of 21 December 1989 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to personal protective equipment
• Mandate: M/031 - Standardization mandate to CEN/CENELEC concerning standards for Personal Protective Equipment
• Ref Project: EN 16716:2017 - Mountaineering equipment - Avalanche airbag systems - Safety requirements and test methods

Relations

• Revised: oSIST prEN 16716:2025 - Mountaineering equipment - Avalanche airbag systems - Safety requirements and test methods
• Effective Date: 19-Jan-2023
• Revised: oSIST prEN 16716:2025 - Mountaineering equipment - Avalanche airbag systems - Safety requirements and test methods
• Effective Date: 18-Jan-2023
• Revised: oSIST prEN 16716:2025 - Mountaineering equipment - Avalanche airbag systems - Safety requirements and test methods
• Effective Date: 09-Nov-2022

Overview

EN 16716:2017 - "Mountaineering equipment - Avalanche airbag systems - Safety requirements and test methods" is a European Standard published by CEN that specifies safety requirements and standardized test methods for avalanche airbag systems intended to reduce the risk of burial in a snow avalanche. The standard covers functional performance, design and material requirements, durability and environmental tests, marking and information the manufacturer must supply. It does not address personal protection against impact or cold temperature.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Activation system
  • Mechanical activation force: 50 N to 150 N (tested per the standard).
  • Maximum activation distance for mechanical systems: 100 mm.
• Airbag performance
  • Inflation time: full inflation within 5 s after activation; airbag remains inflated for at least 3 minutes.
  • Minimum airbag volume: 150 litres when fully inflated.
• Durability and deployments
  • Rated number of deployments: manufacturer must declare a rating of at least 20; devices must withstand twice the rated number in tests, meeting activation and inflation requirements each time.
• Pressure and strength
  • Pressure components must tolerate operating pressure + 0.1 bar for 30 min without damage and operating pressure + 0.25 bar without bursting (test methods specified).
  • Airbag fabric tensile strength requirement referenced to EN ISO 13934-1.
• Environmental and electrical
  • Tests cover condensation effects, cold and high temperature behaviour, snow influence during deployment, corrosion resistance and practical deployment.
  • Electrically powered systems must provide a low-battery indication and retain deployability for 6 hours after low-battery indication.
• Test suite
  • The standard defines test methods for activation force/distance, inflation, volume, burst pressure, impact, snow influence, carrying-system strength, pull-off strength, corrosion and practical use tests.

Applications and who uses it

• Manufacturers of avalanche airbag systems use EN 16716:2017 to design, validate and declare product performance and durability.
• Test laboratories and conformity assessors apply the specified test methods for CE marking and certification activities.
• Procurement teams, retailers and safety officers reference the standard when selecting or specifying avalanche airbags for sale or inclusion in safety programs.
• Mountain rescue organizations, guides and professional users can use the standard’s requirements to compare products and understand declared capabilities and limitations.
• Note: EN 16716:2017 complements product-specific safety decisions but does not replace protective measures for impact or cold exposure.

Related standards

EN 16716 references and aligns with a range of standards relevant to components and tests, including:

• EN 12277 (harnesses), EN 60529 (IP codes), EN 62133 (battery safety), ISO 9227 (salt spray corrosion), EN ISO 13934-1 (textile tensile tests) and others listed in the normative references. It is part of a broader package of mountaineering equipment standards (see Annex A of EN 16716).

Standards Content (Sample)

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.Bergsteigerausrüstung - Lawinen-Airbag-Systeme - Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und PrüfverfahrenÉquipement d’alpinisme et d'escalade - Systèmes de sac gonflable anti-ensevelissement lors d’une avalanche - Exigences de sécurité et méthodes d’essaiMountaineering equipment - Avalanche Airbag systems - Safety requirements and test methods97.220.40Oprema za športe na prostem in vodne športeOutdoor and water sports equipment97.220.20Oprema za zimske športeWinter sports equipmentICS:Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z:EN 16716:2017SIST EN 16716:2017en,fr,de01-julij-2017SIST EN 16716:2017SLOVENSKI
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Mountaineering equipment æ Avalanche airbag systems æ Safety requirements and test methods Équipement d 5alpinisme et d 5escalade æ Systèmes de sac gonflable antiæensevelissement lors d 5une avalanche æ Exigences de sécurité et méthodes d 5essai Bergsteigerausrüstung æ LawinenæAirbagæSysteme æ Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren This European Standard was approved by CEN on
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egulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alterationä Upætoædate lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CENæCENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN memberä
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CENæCENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versionsä
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austriaá Belgiumá Bulgariaá Croatiaá Cyprusá Czech Republicá Denmarká Estoniaá Finlandá Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedoniaá Franceá Germanyá Greeceá Hungaryá Icelandá Irelandá Italyá Latviaá Lithuaniaá Luxembourgá Maltaá Netherlandsá Norwayá Polandá Portugalá Romaniaá Serbiaá Slovakiaá Sloveniaá Spainá Swedená Switzerlandá Turkey and United Kingdomä
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre:
Avenue Marnix 17,
B-1000 Brussels
t r s y CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CEN national Membersä Refä Noä EN
s x y s xã t r s y ESIST EN 16716:2017

Page European foreword . 3 Introduction . 4 1 Scope . 5 2 Normative references . 5 3 Terms and definitions . 6 4 Safety requirements . 7 4.1 Function . 7 4.1.1 Activation system . 7 4.1.2 Carrying system . 9 4.2 Design . 9 4.2.1 Performance . 9 4.2.2 Material requirements . 10 4.2.3 Ergonomic requirements . 10 4.2.4 Detachable airbag systems . 11 4.2.5 Electric airbag systems . 11 5 Test methods . 12 5.1 General . 12 5.2 Test of activation force . 12 5.3 Test of activation distance . 12 5.4 Test of airbag inflation . 12 5.5 Test of airbag volume . 12 5.6 Test of rated number of deployments . 12 5.7 Test of condensation effects on the activation system . 13 5.8 Test of working time span/low temperature test . 13 5.9 Test of high temperature damage . 13 5.10 Cold temperature deployment . 13 5.11 Test of minimum battery reserve time . 13 5.12 Test of Airbag Pressure . 14 5.13 Test of airbag burst pressure . 14 5.14 Impact test of the airbag . 14 5.15 Test of influence of snow during deployment . 14 5.16 Test of practical deployment . 14 5.17 Test of carrying system . 15 5.18 Test of pull-off-strength . 15 5.19 Practical tests . 15 5.20 Corrosion resistance test . 15 6 Marking . 15 7 Information supplied by the manufacturer . 16 Annex A (informative)
Standards on mountaineering equipment . 18 Annex ZA (informative)
Relationship between this European Standard and the essential requirements of Directive 89/686/EEC aimed to be covered . 19 Bibliography . 20
« u r °C without any external support (e.g. power supply, pressure support). When tested in accordance with 5.8 the avalanche airbag system shall meet the requirements of 4.1.1.2 and 4.1.1.4. 4.1.1.9 Temperature range Airbag systems shall achieve full inflation within the temperature range given by the manufacturer or between
« u r °C and +50 °C, whichever is greater, without damage. Testing shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant clauses of 5.8, 5.9 and 5.10. The requirements of 4.1.1.2 and 4.1.1.4 shall be met and there shall be no damage to the airbag system. 4.1.1.10 Battery reserve time of electronic components Electrically powered avalanche airbag systems shall have an integrated indication system which shows when the battery for the activation and inflation is low. When this occurs, the activation and inflation systems shall still be able to be deployed within the next 6 h. When tested in accordance with 5.11, the requirements of 4.1.1.2 and 4.1.1.4 shall be met. 4.1.1.11 Pressure performance When tested in accordance with 5.12, all components of the airbag system that will be pressurized during full inflation shall withstand at least a pressure of the operating pressure plus 0,1 bar for 30 min without damage. Leakage shall be compensated. After that, the airbag system shall be able to perform a further activation. The test requirement of 4.1.1.4 shall be met. When tested in accordance with 5.13, all components of the airbag system that will be pressurized during full inflation shall withstand at least a pressure of the operating pressure plus 0,25 bar without bursting. 4.1.1.12 Airbag impact When tested in accordance with 5.14, the airbag impact test shall not damage the airbag. The airbag shall still meet the minimum inflation requirement as described in 4.1.1.4. 4.1.1.13 Airbag fabric strength The airbag fabric shall meet the following minimum requirements: — tensile strength according to EN ISO 13934-1: warp: (1 500 N/5 cm)/ weft: (1 500 N/5 cm); — tearing strength according to EN ISO 13937-2: warp: (70
Verification may be carried out by airbag fabric manufacturer's certificate (not older than 1 year) or test. 4.1.1.14 Snow influence When tested in accordance with 5.15, the air intake components of the airbag shall not be negatively affected by snow during deployment and full inflation shall be achieved. The requirements of 4.1.1.4 shall be met. SIST EN 16716:2017

· 20 mm. The vest shall not break and its fixation buckles shall not slip
· 20 mm. When other systems are used to prevent slippage of the carrying system over the head of the user, they shall be tested in the same manner. 4.2 Design 4.2.1 Performance The following requirements shall be verified by visual/practical evaluation. Where required, tests shall be performed in accordance with 5.19. The avalanche airbag system shall be easy for the user to put on in the proper position and keep in their position during wearing under the consideration of external impacts such as necessary movements and postures. It shall have a simple adjustment to provide a correct fit for the user. It shall be easy to put on and take off. The inflation system, activation system and airbag shall not be affected by anything that the avalanche airbag system is intende
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