Safety

Safety is the very highest priority when installing or maintaining an automatic gate system and Platinum Automated Entries ltd take this very seriously indeed.

Platinum Engineers take safety, security and the fitting of Safety Systems on Automated Gates as our no 1 concern.

In these challenging times, often installers are choosing to offer safety equipment as an optional extra (if at all) when quoting and installing automated gates. In all instances where poor and unsafe installations are undertaken the consequences can be fatal and expensive to rectify. Consideration can be made in the design stage and the specification of the equipment installed to remove potential hazard points, ie; hinge entrapment, force limitation......

Most automated gates and barriers installed before regulations were introduced were installed without any safety. Many of the potential hazards that these historical installations present can be minimised by upgrading or retro fitting modern safety devices to work with the existing automation systems and control.

When considering installing automated gates or barriers, we understand it can be tempting to choose the installer or quotation offering cost savings by installing a system with minimal or no safety at all and thinking "it'll be alright what could possibly happen?" If a gate hits or crushes a vehicle it can be repaired (at what cost!), and if it traps or crushes a child then.........

Platinum will visit your site and carry out a safety survey. As well as assessing the practicalities of the installation, this is to assess the potential hazards that could be introduced by the automated gates.

Once the potential hazards have been assessed, Platinum can then select the appropriate automation equipment and necessary safety devices to minimise or eliminate the potential impact of those hazards. Some of the key hazards to be assessed as part of a risk assessment when installing automated gates are:

Collision
During opening and closing there is a risk that the gates could collide with a person, vehicle, animal or other object . The risk of collision differs depending on how the gates are commanded to move, the type and height of gate e.g. solid boarded or open railing, and the users/visitors to the property e.g young children, elderly and disabled typically are unable to react and move out of the path of a moving gate quickly enough. All of these factors influence the type and level of safety required.

Conveyor
For wooden timber swing gates, during the opening and closing phase, especially with a short sliding gate with finials, there is a risk of a person's clothing getting caught on the gate and being dragged by the gate as if they were on a conveyor belt.

Crushing
The potential for crushing can be to vehicles, people, pets or other objects and can come from several places on any single installation. Swing gates present the potential for crushing as the two gate leaves close together, between the gate and posts at the hinges, between the underside of the gates and the road surface has the potential to crush feet. If the gates open against a solid surface such as a fence or a brick wall there is a potential to crush if the gap between the gate and the solid object is insufficient.

Pushing
During opening and closing, gates have the power and potential to push a person, animal or small object. This could result in a person being knocked over. As with a collision hazard, The risk differs depending on how the gates are commanded to move, the type and height of gate e.g. solid boarded or open railing, and the users/ visitors to the property e.g young children, elderly and disabled typically are unable to react and move out of the path of a moving gate quickly enough. All of these factors influence the type and level of safety required.

Shearing
This is a significant hazard to be considered when installing sliding gates. The potential occurs when the gate passes any fixed vertical object such as a post or the bars of railings. If an object such as a persons arm were to get trapped between the gate and the post and the gate were to continue moving then the shearing forces could causes an injury such as a broken arm or at worst with a very large gate it could act like guillotine blades. There are simple and effective ways to minimise or in many cases eliminate this risk such as using mesh panels behind railings to stop arms being passed between the bars.

Trapping
There are two primary trapping hazards:

1. Where a space is created big enough for a person or animal to stand behind the gate when it is opened but without any means of escape if the gate didn't close. Another hazard commonly found in blocks of flats is where the gate opens onto the door of a bin store. When the gate is opened, if a person was in the bin store they would be trapped as the door cannot be opened until the gate is closed.
2. Trapping of persons, or body parts in the automation mechanism or in the fabric of the gate. This is much more serious and potentially dangerous of the two.

If you have read this far, you may be wondering why anyone would consider installing such a potentially dangerous machine! Believe me many do!!

Please be assured that with the correct site survey, risk assessment and subsequent informed choice of automation equipment and safety devices, your gates will provide years of reliable, safe service. The major automation equipment manufacturers continue to develop new and improved equipment with enhanced obstacle detection and safety devices to enable safer automation solutions to be supplied and installed.

Important Safety Information
Safety edges are soft profile sections of collapsible ABS material that can help to protect the leading edges of opening gates. When the edge comes into contact with an obstruction, it triggers the gates to stop or reverse their operation, so the object or person who was within the gates movement is safe and undamaged or unhurt!

Safety Edges are sensitive along its entire length, to protect against contact with any obstacle, large or small. The resistive edge system makes it possible for the entire edge to warp, sideways and front ways, to ensure reverse movement at the slightest contact. The size of the edge and its warping structure accurately detects the obstacle. Particularly useful for sliding gates and in situation where pets or children could get into the gate movement area and avoid the safety beams. The DF can be combined with a system of wireless connections, eliminating complicated and unsightly wiring between the moving part and the stationary motor.