Product liability of wheels and castors

Product liability information

All deliveries by BS Rollen GmbH are subject to our delivery and payment conditions, which can be viewed at www.bs-rollen.de/agb/. When assessing our liability and obligations as the manufacturer of our products, in particular in accordance with Section 4 of the Product Liability Act and Section 3, Paragraph 2 of the Product Safety Act, all the information and notes about BS Rollen products available on the website www.bs-rollen.de and contained in our product catalogue www.bs-rollen.de/service/downloads/ must be observed. Non-observance releases us as manufacturer from liability.

 1.0 Product information and intended use

Wheels and castors in the sense of this definition are components that are generally replaceable and that are attached to devices, furniture and transport systems or related products to make them drivable. This product information relates to wheels and castors, in particular to passively steering castors (swivel castors), for vehicles and devices that are not moved by machines, hereinafter referred to as objects, which are usually not moved faster than walking speed (4 km/h) and are not in continuous operation. Wheels and castors in the sense of this product information can be classified for the following areas of application:

• Living area:
  - e.g. seating, home furniture 

• Service sector:
  - general service sector, e.g. shopping trolleys, office furniture
  - hospital sector, e.g. hospital beds

• Industrial sector:
  - e.g. transport equipment for medium weight and heavy loads 

Proper assembly in particular forms part of the intended use:

1. The product must be firmly connected to the object at all points provided for this. 
2. The object must have sufficient strength at these points. 
3. The function of the product must not be impaired or changed by assembly. 
4. Castors must be mounted in such a way that their swivel axes are vertical. 
5. Fixed castors must be installed in such a way that their wheel axles are aligned with one another.
6. Only castors of the same construction height are to be used on an object. 
7. Wheels made of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) contain oil and can cause contact discolouration on sensitive surfaces.

Special design products must be specified for damp rooms, direct weathering, near the sea or for use in aggressive, corrosive environments. Unless a further temperature range is specified for standard products in our catalogue, these are suitable for use in a temperature range between 5 °C and 30 °C. Special design products must be specified for use outside this temperature range; under no circumstances may standard products be operated with nominal load under such conditions.

The wheel, housing, locking device and axle accessories form a functional unit. Liability exists only for original products. When selecting the castors, all possible loads must be known. Otherwise, these must be estimated with sufficient safety margins (see technical advisor).

2.0 Misuse 

Misuse – i. e. improper product use of wheels and castors – exists, for example, if

1. the wheels and castors are used with a higher load capacity than the max. load capacity appearing in the catalogue. 
2. it is used on unsuitable, uneven ground. 
3. the ambient temperature is too high or too low. 
4. a device with locked castors is forcibly moved or the locking device is used as a travel brake.
5. particularly aggressive media are able to act. 
6. there are improperly rough impacts and drop loads. 
7. foreign bodies are able to penetrate the bandages. 
8. the wheels and castors are used at too high a speed. 
9. modifications are made that have not been agreed with the manufacturer. 
10. mechanical damage occurs due to external influences or collisions.

3.0 Product performance

If the product services are not individually specified in our catalogues, brochures, service descriptions, etc., the requirements for our wheels and castors or their components must be agreed with us. The relevant DIN, ISO and EN standards provide an orientation. 

Unlike standard wheels and castors, the locking forces of castors with locking systems are designed to have optimal ratio between high locking force and, at the same time, low actuation force.

4.0 Product maintenance

Recommended annual maintenance/inspection: 

1. Products with a grease nipple should be re-lubricated once a year until some grease seeps out of the bearings. We recommend an all-purpose calcium complex soap grease (Renolit CX-EP 2 or similar) with a usage temperature of -30 °C to +140 °C. For differing application conditions, we recommend an adapted lubricant.
2. Check screw connections for tight fit.
3. Functional check of wheel, slewing ring, locking device, directional lock, brakes and other accessories.
4. Check wheel bearing play and slewing ring play, ideally in accordance with DIN EN 12530 to 12533. (ISO 22881 to ISO 22884)
5. Check the air pressure on pneumatic tyres according to the information in the BS Rollen general catalogue.
6. Check for wear and abrasion on solid rubber tyres and treads. Guide value: max. abrasion < half the layer thickness

5.0 Information and instruction obligations 

The following are available to fulfil the information and instruction obligations as well as the maintenance work according to the product liability law:

• for trade
  - Catalogues with product and user information

• for the processor:
  - Catalogues with product and user information

• for the user
  - Product and user information