FENCEX 2027 STAND BOOKINGS NOW OPEN FOR THE UK FENCING INDUSTRY’S FLAGSHIP SHOW
INSTALLER SURVEY CALLS FOR IMPROVED AWARENESS OF GATE SAFETY BY DESIGN
During 2023, Gate Safe will be focusing heavily on the importance of gate safety by design.
Whilst the need to incorporate the relevant combination of safety features (photocells, light curtains or laser scanners, and pressure edges) remains a priority, the charity wants to draw attention to the importance of an intrinsically safe design to mitigate the risk of an accident or worse …
In a recent survey of 100 installers, as many as 84% reported that they perceived unsafe design to be the most common cause for automated gate accidents in the last ten years.
Well over half of the respondents (58%) reported that the failure to eliminate hinge crushing /lack of finger guards were the most common design flaws witnessed in the field. This was followed by a lack of safeguarding against falling gates, usually as a result of the presence of only two, rather than the required three hinges and the absence of any tether – or in the case of a sliding gate – the absence or lack of appropriate end stops.
An overwhelming majority of installers advised that well over half of all gates that they are called out to check or maintain could be classed as unsafe by design, with responsibility for these errors being largely attributed to inappropriately trained installers (62%), architects / specifiers (22%) and gate manufacturers (16%).
And worryingly, there appears to be a serious lack of awareness amongst customers relating to the role that design faults play in contributing to an unsafe gate, when compared to awareness levels of the need for no contact / contact safety measures. A massive 93% of installers believed that their customers were not as aware of the importance of sound design as they were the need for the addition of critical safety devices.
As a result, 90% of respondents agreed there is a requirement for an awareness campaign, to educate all those in the automated gate / barrier supply chain to understand the vital role that design plays in delivering a safe and compliant installation.
So, prepare to read all about Gate Safety by Design in our upcoming columns.
