Tragic fatality highlights importance of new safety guidelines issued by Gate Safe campaign | Nov 2011
Gate Safe – the campaign established to tackle automated gate safety – has introduced two new sets of guidelines aimed at all professionals involved in automatic gate installations. Brian Sims explains why.
The urgent and overriding need for a stricter gate safety protocol was once again highlighted with news of another fatality following an accident involving a gate.
Ronald Hayward, a 42-year old delivery driver, became trapped underneath heavy metal gates as he tried to open them to reverse a lorry into the delivery yard of a cash and carry company.
The tragic incident occurred on 26 October in the Crindau area of Newport and, although four fire engines as well as the police and ambulance services were in attendance, Hayward was pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation is being conducted by Gwent Police who are working alongside the Health and Safety Executive and Newport City Council’s own Health and Safety Department.
Hayward’s death represents the third fatality caused by heavy gates since January 2010, the tragic deaths of two children occurring within the space of two months.
New guidelines issues by Gate Safe campaign
The Gate Safe campaign was established by Jacksons Fencing in direct response to the two fatal accidents involving six-year old Semelia Campbell and five-year old Karolina Golabek in June and July 2010.
Since its inception, the campaign’s signatories have worked tirelessly to drive heightened recognition of the need for improved safety standards in gate automation.
The new guidelines that have just been launched represent the latest in a series of initiatives designed to enhance awareness of the critical factors which must be considered to ensure a safe and compliant automatic gate installation.
The Gate Safe Physical guidelines provide a comprehensive overview of key physical factors which may contribute to the overall safety of an automatic gate. They’re supported by pictorial references to illustrate each of the founding principles.
The Gate Safe Simple Checks guidelines, meanwhile, afford an easy-to-follow set of tests which can help to speedily identify whether or not an automatic gate complies with current safety recommendations.
Both sets of guidelines are accessible via the Gate Safe web site which has recently undergone a major revamp to broaden its appeal to all safety officers and professionals involved in the automated gate installation process.
Focus on raising awareness of the issues
Commenting on the new guidelines and updated web site, Richard Jackson (CEO at Jacksons Fencing) told Info4Security: “The Gate Safe campaign has always focused heavily on the need to raise awareness of gate automation safety, and to educate all those involved in the automated gate sector to ensure that there is compliance at every stage of the installation.”
Jackson stated: “Gate Safe aims to demystify the precautions that must be taken to ensure a safe – and, ultimately, legally compliant – electric gate. We will continue to refresh the information that’s available from the Gate Safe website to ensure that it features the very latest Best Practice guidelines, making it an essential reference source for anyone designing, manufacturing, specifying, installing or auditing an automated gate.”
He continued: “In addition to this we are working hard to encourage architects to further their understanding of automated gate safety issues by promoting Gate Safe Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This allows them to take advantage of the opportunity to access a presentation outlining the key safety considerations/precautions that need to be taken when installing an electric gate while at the same time gaining valuable learning points in their CPD journey towards improved competency.”
Gate Safety Summit in early 2012
The next key activity for Gate Safe will be the roll-out of a second Gate Safety Summit at the beginning of 2012.
In contrast to the first Gate Safety Summit, which was chaired by Peter Carroll (the mastermind behind the Gurkha Justice campaign), the purpose of this next event will be to educate rather than debate on the subject of safe gate automation.
A number of key guest speakers have been invited to participate in the Summit. Further details are due to be released before Christmas.
Manage Your Account
