The growing campaign to confine powered gate accidents to the history books has received a significant boost with the UK’s leading safety charities coming on board. Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and British Safety Council have put their weight behind Gate Safety Week. They are amongst a number of influential groups in the security, enforcement, inspection, education and safety sectors who are lending their support to 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.
RoSPA has been at the heart of accident prevention in the UK and around the world for almost 100 years. RoSPA’s Michael Corley said: “The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents fully supports this year’s Gate Safety Week campaign and wishes the DHF every success in raising public awareness of the dangers associated with poorly fitted and maintained powered gates.”
Read more: RoSPA and British Safety Council back Gate Safety Week