Gate Safety Week is live!
We are part way through Gate Safety Week (October 13 – 19) – a week of action which is a major initiative to raise awareness of the dangers posed by poorly installed and maintained automated gates.
An estimated 500,000 automated gates are in service in the UK – yet as few as 10 per cent of these are safe to use. Automated gates are becoming an increasingly familiar sight at work, home and school. But in recent years, six people have been killed in dangerous gate accidents, three of them children.All this week, Britain’s leading manufacturers, suppliers, installers and maintainers of powered automatic gates and gate automation equipment are carrying out special events to focus public attention on gate safety.
They are members of the Door & Hardware Federation Powered Gate Group which has organised Gate Safety Week.
Taking centre stage during this important week is a video that shows the importance of having automated gates checked for safety. Safety experts interviewed during the video urge all those responsible for automated gates to have a risk assessment carried out by a qualified and trained technician. The video details the various safety measures that can be incorporated to ensure the gate does not present a danger. The video can be downloaded from the Gate Safety Week website, www.gatesafetyweek.org.uk .
The DHF has joined forces with a number of influential organisations in the safety, enforcement, inspection, education and security sectors who are all lending their support to the campaign this week. Amongst them is The Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the national regulator for workplace health and safety.
Said Jane Willis, a member of the HSE’s senior management team: “HSE supports Gate Safety Week, DHF and all those involved in ensuring the safety of powered automatic gates. From design and manufacture through to installation and maintenance, everyone can play their part in reducing the risk of being hurt by powered gates. HSE will continue to work in partnership with industry and others to achieve this.”
HSE inspector Stuart Charles, who led the investigation into the tragic death of a child in a South Wales automated gate accident, was this week the keynote speaker at an event being attended by a number of safety and security specialists, gate manufacturers, installers and gate specifiers during Gate Safety Week..
Other key supporters of Gate Safety Week include Citation, Gate Safe, Secured by Design, European Fencing Industry Association, Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, Master Locksmiths Association, and Automatic Door Suppliers Association.
Said Neil Sampson, chairman of the DHF Powered Gate Group:. “We are determined to do everything we can to ensure that no more tragic accidents are caused by unsatisfactory electric gates.
“The message of Gate Safety Week is clear: a correctly installed and maintained automated gate is perfectly safe to use. So it’s vital to have automated gates checked for safety. Visit our website www.gatesafetyweek.org.uk to watch the video and to find a qualified installer who can carry out safety checks. Or ring the gate safety hotline 01827 52337 to find your nearest installer. Let’s all work together to bring about a dramatic increase in automated gate safety.”