Product safety certification provider Kiwa has conducted a comprehensive testing program at Silverstone to assess the spectator barriers’ structural integrity and compliance with safety regulations.
With thousands of motorsport fans attending the British F1 Grand Prix and MotoGP at Silverstone, ensuring spectator safety – and meeting modern sports ground safety regulations – remains a top priority for the circuit’s management across its 25 permanent and temporary grandstands.
Driving barrier testing
To maintain a safe environment, barrier testing is conducted to ensure total confidence in structural integrity and performance for optimum crowd control and the preventing falls.
Delivering a strategy of enhanced safety means undertaking regular risk assessments and testing regimes as part of programs to identify and address potential safety issues before they can lead to accidents.
Kiwa worked with DSA Group to undertake barrier tests on several structures, including the BRDC, COPSE, Lakeside and Luffield stands. All the testing was undertaken in accordance with Chapter 11 of the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds sixth edition (2018).
Chris Forshaw, construction and utilities cluster director at Kiwa, said, “Offering a strong track record in testing sporting structures and leisure facilities, we worked with the DSA Group to carry out a testing program for several spectator stands at Silverstone. With massive crowds regularly attending world famous events at the venue, such testing ensures a safe environment for all and meets the prevailing safety standards.”
The program involved applying test loads centrally between supports using hydraulic cylinders. The loads were measured with a calibrated pressure gauge, and deflection was monitored using dial gauges at the point of maximum movement.
Each test included a bedding cycle conforming to the design force, followed by two applications of the test load. The deflection and recovery data were then used to assess compliance with the safety specifications.
Following the testing procedures, all the barriers at Silverstone were found to comply with the required safety standards.
Chris Forshaw said, “For those charged with operating and managing heavily used spaces such as sports arenas and other leisure facilities, visitor safety is the number one priority.”
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