Nine out of ten automated gates do not comply with current safety guidelines, according to a random audit undertaken by a group of campaigners.
The Gate Safe campaign was set up following the deaths of two young children in separate automated-gate incidents in 2010. In a survey of 50 gates, only 5 per cent were fully compliant with existing guidelines. Around 20 per cent featured some safety measures – but these were insufficient to meet current recommendations; and around 70 per cent featured no safety measures whatsoever.
The survey findings were highlighted as part of a safety summit hosted by the campaign in London last week.
The summit, which attracted more than 90 delegates – including architects, health and safety managers, surveyors, installers and safety organisations – also highlighted a new training programme, which Gate Safe is developing in partnership with IOSH, to achieve a form of accreditation for the automated gate industry.
Delegates heard presentations from the HSE, IOSH, the Door & Hardware Federation (the trade body responsible for improvements in the technical guidelines for automated gate safety) and legal firm Thomson, Snell & Passmore.
Gate Safe believes progress in this area requires a comprehensive education programme that targets everyone involved in the installation of an automated gate, including specifiers, manufacturers, designers and installers.
Commenting on the summit, founder of Gate Safe and CEO of Jacksons Fencing, Richard Jackson, said: “We have been working closely with IOSH since our inaugural summit and are developing a training programme designed to create a charter of Gate Safe-accredited installers, who will only be allowed to operate using the Gate Safe logo if they have completed a comprehensive training course to ensure a thorough understanding of the best practice in relation to gate safety.
“Our aim has always been simple: to prevent any further unnecessary accidents and we hope this will go some way towards achieving that goal.”
For more information on the Gate Safe campaign, visit www.gate-safe.co.uk
