Moduplay Implements Giant Tube Slide Guidance: SA HB 244:2025

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What is SA HB 244:2025?

SA HB 244:2025, Supplementary guide to AS 4685.3:2021 – Giant tube slides, responds to safety issues associated with giant tunnel slides.

These issues include:

• High sliding speeds.
• Changes in friction caused by clothing, water, sand and surface condition.
• Tandem riding.
• Users attempting to brake or stop during descent.
• Unintended access to elevated external sections.
• Users entering before the previous rider has cleared the runout.

SA HB 244:2025 is a handbook rather than a standalone mandatory Standard. Standards Australia publications are generally voluntary unless they are incorporated into legislation, regulation, a contract or a project specification.

The handbook supplements the AS 4685 series. It does not replace the applicable requirements of AS 4685.3:2021 or create a separate certification regime.

The handbook also references AS ISO 4980 benefit-risk principles informatively. These principles provide useful context for balancing the developmental value of challenging play with reasonable measures to reduce foreseeable injury.

See how elevated play, enclosed tube slides and alternative play experiences were integrated at the Somerville Park giant tunnel slide project.

Where does the guidance apply?

The handbook defines a giant tunnel slide as a tunnel slide with a sliding section measuring 7.5m or more in length.

Its application still needs to be assessed within the scope of the AS 4685 playground equipment series and the requirements of the individual project.

Councils, landscape architects, developers and certifiers should identify the applicable requirements during concept development. The type of facility alone does not determine whether every requirement applies.

Engineering verification and dynamic performance

A giant tunnel slide requires more than a routine post-installation inspection. Its performance depends on the interaction between the complete slide geometry, materials, users and operating environment.

Technical assessment may need to consider:

• Total sliding-section length and descent height.
• Slide material and internal surface condition.
• Average and maximum angles of declination.
• Straight-section lengths and their positions within the slide.
• Bend direction, sequence and centreline radius.
• Transitions between straight and curved sections.
• Centrifugal forces generated through bends.
• User mass and clothing friction coefficients.
• Deceleration and user position through the runout.
• Foreseeable braking, stopping and tandem-riding behaviour.
• The effects of wear, climate, moisture and loose material.

Moduplay uses project-specific engineering analysis, including predictive modelling where appropriate, to assess descent velocity, centrifugal loading and deceleration across selected user masses and friction conditions.

This modelling is a Moduplay engineering method used to support design development and the project certification process. The handbook does not prescribe one universal dynamic-simulation method.

Appendix A of SA HB 244:2025 is informative. It supports competent design verification and consideration of slide parameters, but it should not be described as imposing one mandatory calculation or simulation process.

Slide geometry and runout design

Slide geometry directly affects speed, lateral movement, acceleration and deceleration.

Design development should assess the slide as one continuous system rather than treating individual dimensions in isolation. A dimension that performs appropriately in one layout may produce a different result when combined with another gradient, material, bend or transition.

The handbook’s design interventions include bend centreline radii greater than 1.2m. Detailed requirements for straight sections, opposing bends, transitions, declination and runout geometry should be checked against the licensed handbook and the approved engineering documentation for each project.

The runout should be designed to manage the rider’s remaining velocity and provide a stable exit. Moduplay assesses runout performance as part of its project-specific engineering process rather than attributing a universal terminal-speed requirement to the handbook.

Site planning and operating conditions

Performance can change after installation.

Standards Australia identifies usage patterns, surface wear, climate and loose materials carried into the slide as factors that can affect the user experience. Water, sand and other contaminants can alter the friction between clothing and the slide surface.

Site planning should therefore consider:

• Separation from splash zones, water-play elements and loose sand.
• Drainage around the access and exit areas.
• The likelihood of material being carried into the slide.
• Inspection frequency during periods of heavy use.
• Surface wear and changes in internal slide condition.
• Local heat, rainfall and environmental exposure.
• Clear access to the runout for inspection and maintenance.

Where the exterior of the slide is accessible, the project team should assess fall heights and impact-attenuating surfacing against the applicable requirements. Anti-climb barriers can also help deter unintended access to external slide sections.

Access control and play equity

SA HB 244:2025 encourages ability filters of varying complexity to limit unintended access by users who may not be physically or developmentally ready for a giant tunnel slide.

An ability filter is not one prescribed obstacle or universal dimension. Its effectiveness depends on the complete access route, the intended users and whether another person could assist or carry a less able user through the route.

Potential access strategies may include:

• Climbing routes that require coordination and physical capability.
• Spatial climbing networks.
• Changes in platform elevation.
• Access sequences that make assisted entry more difficult.
• Anti-climb barriers that deter external access.

The selected strategy should be developed and assessed as part of the complete structure.

Where access to a giant tunnel slide is intentionally challenging, the surrounding playspace should also provide meaningful alternatives. Smaller slides can offer younger children and children with different abilities an appropriate sliding experience without encouraging them to bypass the intended access route.

Safety communication

Clear visual signs can reinforce the intended use of a giant tunnel slide.

Recommended safety messages include:

• Ride one person at a time.
• Do not ride in tandem.
• Slide feet first.
• Do not brake or stop inside the slide.
• Wait until the previous rider has cleared the runout.
• Leave the runout promptly.
• Users should be at least 1.2m tall.
• Do not climb inside the slide or on its exterior.

Signs should use clear pictograms supported by concise text. Their position, visibility and reading height should be considered as part of the complete playspace design.

Asset owners may also choose to install QR codes linking to user information, inspection records or incident-reporting forms. QR reporting can support local education and data collection, but it is an implementation option rather than a specific requirement of SA HB 244:2025.

Information for specifiers and asset owners

Before approving a giant tunnel slide, specifiers and certifiers should request a documented design schedule that identifies:

• Total sliding-section length.
• Total descent height.
• Slide material.
• Average angle of declination.
• Maximum angle of declination.
• Straight-section lengths and locations.
• Centreline radius of each bend or elbow.
• Transition and runout geometry.
• Intended users.
• Access-control strategy.
• Anti-climb measures.
• Engineering verification scope.
• Certification scope.
• Inspection and maintenance requirements.

These details give the certifier and asset owner a clearer basis for assessing the complete slide rather than relying on a general statement of compliance.

What this means for a Moduplay project

Moduplay considers SA HB 244:2025 during the design, engineering, manufacturing and documentation of applicable giant tunnel slide projects.

The project team provides the design and engineering information needed for the certifier and asset owner to review the slide against:

• The applicable AS 4685 requirements.
• The project brief and contractual requirements.
• The supplementary guidance in SA HB 244:2025.
• The approved project-specific engineering documentation.

This approach supports a clear certification pathway and more complete asset records without overstating the legal status of the handbook or claiming a separate form of handbook certification.

Planning a giant tunnel slide? Speak with Moduplay’s playground design team early to confirm the site, access, engineering and certification requirements for the project.

Frequently asked questions about SA HB 244:2025