Safety First!
Safety is key in all AMF-Bruns of America products and system innovations. Since 1958, we have been the leading supplier of lifts, wheelchair & occupant restraint systems, floors and related products for the conversion of accessible vehicles. Today we service customers in more than 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
This leading position is both a responsibility and a motivation for AMF-Bruns to ensure that all aspects of our products, which have quality and safety implications, are subject to the strictest of controls. All production work is completed in accordance with the ISO 9001 standard. In addition, all lifts and ramps which the company delivers are TUV-tested in 20G, front-on vehicle crashes.
All AMF-Bruns products offer a high level of safety. Smartfloor products meet all safety requirements including FMVSS / CMVSS, as well as UN/ECE directives such as ISO 10542 and DIN standard 75078. Our wheelchair fastening systems comply with all international standards, including RESNA WC 18, FMVSS, CMVSS and ISO 10542. Installation instructions are sent with all AMF-Bruns products.
FMVSS/CMVSS Disclaimer (Download)
In order to further improve safety and protection for people with mobility restrictions, AMF-Bruns has successfully worked in cooperation with competent partners such as:
UMTRI Transportation Research Institute,
TÜV Nord,
TÜV Rheinland,
German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt),
UTAC (France),
AIB Vincotte (Belgium),
STATUS (United Kingdom),
RDW (Holland) and the
German Federal Office for Motor Vehicles (KBA).
WC18 & WC19 Standards
Over the past few years the wheelchair securement industry has seen some important changes in the way the wheelchair restraint and occupant securements system are designed, performance requirements, tested and installed. The revised, WC 18 and WC 19, which replaced the SAE J2249, standards were implemented to improve the safety of wheelchair passengers and their wheelchair. AMF-Bruns, to comply with this voluntary standard introduced the PROTEKTOR PlatinumSeries.
The following is an overview of the standard:
WC18 (Section 18 ANSI/RESNA WC-4) requires that WTORS withstand a sled impact test using a 30-mph/20g crash, a 187-lb. surrogate wheelchair and a 170-lb. midsize adult male crash-test dummy where the lap belt is anchored to the vehicle. NOW, a securement system must be able to withstand the increased forces with an additional test in which the 170-lb crash test dummy is restrained by a lap belt that is anchored to the surrogate wheelchair.
WC19 (Section 19 ANSI/RESNA WC Volume 1) Wheelchair Safety Standard addresses issues of wheelchair design and performance related to its use as seating in a motor vehicle, but its main purpose is to improve the safety and security of the wheelchair occupant during transportation. Therefore, WC19-compliant wheelchairs, or “transit” wheelchairs, are equipped with an array of features, such as anchor points for securing the transit wheelchair to the frame of the vehicle and an attachment point for occupant restraints to protect the safety of the wheelchair occupant.
WC 18 and WC 19 Summary recommendations:
✓ WC 19 compliant wheelchairs
✓ If your wheelchair is not WC 19 compliant
- Sit front facing towards the front of the vehicle
- Secure and use all 4 securement AMF-Bruns’ PlatinumSeries retractors to your wheelchair as recommended in our instructions
- Use the 3-point AMF-Bruns’ occupant securement system
✓ Remove any equipment mounted to your wheelchair that may come loose
✓ Insist all the 4 wheelchair securement AMF’ Bruns’ PlatinumSeries tie-downs are used to secure your wheelchair to the floor of the vehicle and use the AMF-Bruns’ occupant securement. Use the indicated securement points on the WC19 compliant wheelchair.
Amf-Bruns in-house testing facility
Dynamic test center
The newly founded company - AMF-Bruns Forschungs- & Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH - has built a modern and innovative research and development center in Apen, Germany.
It is a center of excellence for comprehensive research, safety testing and product development. The focus of the new company is on the operation of dynamic sled tests as well as static pull tests for internal and external use. The testing facilities are available for vehicle body manufacturers, manufacturers of e.g. harness systems and child seats as well as testing institutes.
The recognized German testing authority TÜV Nord will be on-site as technical service for European type approvals or any other kind of test documents.
Static Test center
Since 2008 AMF-Bruns has its own calibrated pull test facility.
Together with the Dutch RDW, German TÜV Nord and British VCA, AMF-Bruns tests and examines safety-relevant products and components in-house. For example, seat testing, strength testing of built-in vehicle components or wheelchair restraining systems have become routine in the company owned static test center. With up to eight special cylinders the required tension is built up within a matter of milliseconds.
The tests can be performed for all types of vehicles on the market.
The static pull test facility is part of the research and development center.