Standards Development

Scope

This European Standard specifies the technical requirements to minimize the hazards listed in Clause 4 which can arise during the commissioning, operation and maintenance of disabled/incapacitated passenger boarding vehicles when used as intended including misuse reasonably foreseeable by the manufacturer, when carried out in accordance with the specifications given by the manufacturer or his authorised representative. It also takes into account some requirements recognized as essential by authorities, aircraft and ground support equipment (GSE) manufacturers as well as airlines and handling agencies.

This European Standard defines specific safety requirements for transporters/boarding vehicles for transporting/boarding incapacitated or disabled passengers as defined under 3.1, hereafter referred to as boarding vehicles.

This European Standard applies to pedestrian controlled self-propelled boarding vehicles, self- propelled boarding vehicles with integrated driver’s accommodation and towable boarding vehicles, used for moving disabled or incapacitated passengers at an airport between the terminal building and the aircraft ramp and to board and disembark those passengers to and from civil aircraft.

This European Standard assumes that a disabled or incapacitated passenger may be accompanied by an attendant and may be seated in a wheelchair or reclining on a stretcher trolley.

This European Standard also assumes that the types of wheelchairs which may be employed could be:

a) standard type wheelchairs, e.g. in accordance with EN 12183;

b) wheelchairs with or without occupant self-restraint system;

c) aircraft aisle-width wheelchairs;

d) non-standard wheelchairs used at airports;

e) non occupant propelled wheelchairs;

f) battery powered wheelchairs, e.g. in accordance with EN 12184.

NOTE 1 It is assumed that battery powered wheelchairs would not be taken into the cabin of an aircraft.

This European Standard does not apply to other forms of aircraft loaders not specifically designed for boarding of incapacitated or disabled passengers, e.g. mobile lounges, boarding bridges or externally mounted pods such as used on helicopters.

This standard does not apply to pneumatic systems.

This standard does not establish requirements for hazards caused by noise and vibration. 

NOTE 2 EN 1915–3 and EN 1915–4 provide the general GSE vibration and noise requirements.

This standard does not apply to unmodified automotive parts approved for public vehicles in the EU and E.F.T.A., when used on a disabled/incapacitated passenger boarding vehicle for the purpose for which they are designed.

This standard does not deal with hazards from other vehicles on the apron. This part of EN 12312 is not applicable to disabled/incapacitated passenger boarding equipment which was manufactured before the date of publication by CEN of this standard.

This part of EN 12312 when used in conjunction with EN 1915 1, EN 1915 2, EN 1915 3 and EN 1915 4 provides the requirements for disabled/incapacitated passenger boarding vehicles.

Purpose

Side-mounted driver's cabs with doors, etc., in their current designs sometimes have dangerously large blind spots behind the door frames or the A-pillar. This has at least contributed to accidents on the road with other vehicles, because the driver cannot see the entire road ahead in certain situations. The standard does not provide any specific guidelines regarding the field of vision.