Gate safety - NO ONE gets hurts
ACTON Security Ltd take your safety seriously. We put health and safety processes in place to ensure you the client remains safe during installation and also provide the best quality products to match your requirements but also the safest that comply with all current safety legislation.
In June 2010, the tragic deaths of two young children in separate incidents less than one week apart served to highlight the safety issues facing the UK gate automation industry. This was particularly the case since these tragedies followed so soon after the conviction of a gate manufacturer for breaches of health and safety law in relation to an earlier child fatality.
The legal position is that powered gate systems are considered to be “machinery”. This means that, by law, every new powered gate, when it is put into service, must comply with the European Machinery Directive(2006/42/EC), especially the Directive’s Essential Health and Safety Requirements, be CE marked and accompanied by a Declaration of Conformity. The Health and Safety Executive has lead responsibility for enforcement of this legislation, which has been transposed into UK law as the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. The responsibility for complying with the law rests with the responsible person which will be either the manufacturer, supplier or installer, depending on the circumstances.
The key to compliance with the law is risk assessment, which includes identifying the hazards, estimating the severity and likelihood of each hazard, followed by an evaluation to determine whether each hazard is adequately controlled and, if it is not, what further action needs to be taken to control the risk; the principal aim is to secure compliance with the Machinery Directive’s Essential Health and Safety Requirements.
Some guidance on hazards presented by powered gates is given below. There are also European standards covering safety requirements and test methods; use of these standards will simplify risk assessment and compliance may also create a presumption of compliance with the law. It should, however, be noted that these standards were, for the most part, written for use in a factory environment and it may not be possible to carry out all the necessary tests where a gate is created on site. A brief description of the available standards is given.
Responsibilities of the installer/manufacturer
A new powered gate installation must comply with the Machinery Directive, particularly the safety requirements set out in the Essential Health and Safety Requirements. In most cases, the final responsibility for ensuring this will lie with the installer. This would apply in all of the following situations:
• The installer manufactures the gate and drive unit, including the controller
• The installer manufactures the gate, but uses controllers and drive units from another manufacturer
• The installer buys the gate, controllers and drive units from other manufacturers, and commissions the final assembly
However, when a complete gate is placed on the market, such as a “factory manufactured” gate supplied with all ancillary parts (all drive units, safety devices, and control units), and comprehensive installation and setting instructions, the person placing the product on the market will have the responsibility of complying with the Machinery Directive. The installer still has responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure the gate has been installed correctly and safely in accordance with those instructions, including any adjusting and setting of the safety devices.
In short this means that where an installer could previously “advise” you of the safety requirements the onus for safety devices is placed firmly with the installer. To that end “we” now provide all automation products with safety products to ensure the accidents are mitigated as best as possible.
We at ACTON Security Ltd operate a “No-one Gets Hurt” policy when it comes to mitigating risk.
