HSE adds its weight to powered gate safety campaign
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is the latest safety organisation to give its backing to a growing campaign to make unsafe automated gates a thing of the past.
They have joined Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), British Safety Industry Federation and British Safety Council who have all put their weight behind Gate Safety Week (October 12 – 18 www.gatesafetyweek.org.uk).
The campaign is being organised by the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) Powered Gate Group in a bid to dramatically improve the safety of automated gates in the UK. The DHF Powered Gate Group comprises Britain’s leading manufacturers, suppliers, installers and maintainers of powered gates and gate automation equipment.
In recent years, three children and three adults have been killed in powered gate accidents. It is estimated there are more than 500,000 automated gates in service in the UK, yet the industry says just 30 per cent of these are safe to use.
Karen Clayton, is deputy director of HSE’s Engagement and Strategic Interventions Directorate. She said:
“HSE supports Gate Safety Week, DHF and all those involved in ensuring the safety of powered (automatic) gates. Working together, we can reduce the risk of people being hurt by powered gates by designing, manufacturing, installing and maintaining gates which are safe.”
And she urges all those involved with powered gates to read and act on the useful advice provided by HSE: http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/powered-gates/introduction.htm .
There is additional comprehensive guidance for safety professionals, gate owners and all those responsible for specifying, managing and maintaining automatic gates on the Gate Safety Week website (www.gatesafetyweek.org.uk). This includes information on safety legislation and a detailed rundown of the safety features to look for on a powered gate.
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