GATE SAFE CALLS FOR ACCIDENT PREVENTION

Gate installers are challenging the manufacturers of automated and manual gates to step up and take more responsibility for the products they are bringing into the market.

A recent Gate Safety Surgery course held by charity Gate Safe, revealed a genuine sense of disappointment amongst installers who have invested in the training, only to be regularly challenged by products that are not fit for purpose.
The consensus of opinion was that the bigger brands are doing very little to help the industry and need to work harder to deliver innovative systems and materials which deliver improved safety to gate users.
Examples cited included the need to supply all gates with three hinges – as per the British Standard BS EN 12604:2020 which states that all gates should be fitted with three hinges.
Internal doors now regularly feature this added safety precaution. Manufacturers of external automated and manual gates, which are likely to be much heavier and therefore carry a much higher risk have all virtually ignored the guidance.
In addition, delegates discussed the requirement to include a gate tether as standard to mitigate the risk of a falling gate and the overriding need to identify a more aesthetically pleasing pressure edges solution.
These opinions are backed up by a survey that Gate Safe ran post the training course across its installer network, to further investigate opinions on the subject.
The findings convincingly backup the views expressed by the delegates who attended the training course.
64% of respondents declared a need for all gate manufacturers to take responsibility for improving the safety of the automated gates that they bring to market.
The subject of automated gate kits continues to be a source of huge concern to Gate Safe and its installer community.
A significant 84% felt that the manufacturers of such kits should be doing more to ensure a safe and compliant installation.
An overwhelming majority – 96% – backed the suggestion that automated gate kits should NOT be readily available direct to consumers.

www.gate-safe.org