18 October 2016

The determination of two leading organisations to confine tragic powered gate accidents to the history books has propelled them to the finals of the prestigious Security & Fire Excellence Awards 2016. The DHF (Door & Hardware Federation) and the NSI (National Security Inspectorate) have been chosen as joint finalists in the category of Best Contribution to Standards in the Security Sector in the awards scheme. NSI is the premier certification body approving security installers in the UK, and DHF represents the leading British manufacturers, suppliers, installers and maintainers of powered automatic gates. DHF and NSI are proud to announce that following years of collaboration they have made a real difference to safety in the powered gate industry. Being chosen as finalists in the Security & Fire Excellence Awards 2016 is recognition of their achievement. Judges who selected the finalists chose the application after learning about the huge strides taken by the industry following nine deaths and countless accidents and near misses caused by unsafe automated gates. The Security & Fire Excellence Awards 2016 highlight the best people, projects and processes that the security and fire sectors have to offer. Winners will be announced on 23 November when 1,000 of the security industry’s foremost practitioners gather to recognise and honour the achievements of their peers. The DHF industry code of practice (Code of Practice for the Design, Manufacture, Installation and Maintenance of Powered Gates and Traffic Barriers DHF TS 011:2016) reduces the safety risks associated with powered gates and traffic barriers, and is the benchmark for gate installers across the UK. All DHF Powered Gate Group members must abide by the code that provides a framework to ensure a gate is safe and complies with the law. NSI uses the code to audit installers and maintainers of powered gates through its Gates Certification Scheme. This ensures that approved companies work to the highest standards and deliver safe, compliant products for customers. Graeme Hazlewood, NSI Business Development Director, said: “DHF and NSI are delighted to be selected as finalists at this year’s awards in the Best Contribution to Standards in the Security Sector category for our Making Gates Safe project. Committed to raising standards in the powered gates industry, our organisations have worked together to improve safety in the sector.” DHF CEO Bob Perry commented: “This selection recognises the excellent work done by everyone at NSI and DHF on this project. I am sure our combined efforts will make a real difference in our industry: Raising safety standards while reassuring and protecting customers.”