Door Industry Journal - Spring 2016

Also online at: www.d ijonline.co.uk 106 THE door industry journal spring 2016 powered gates COURT CASE TRIGGERS NEW DHF CALL TO CHECK GATES FOR SAFETY Powered gate owners are being urged to have their gates checked for safety after a court heard how a defective works gate collapsed and seriously injured an employee. The advice has been issued by the Door & Hardware Federation, whose Powered Gate Group represents the leading manufacturers, suppliers, installers and maintainers of powered automatic gates and gate automation equipment. A court heard that a leaf of the telescopic gate came out of its runners and collapsed on the man. As a result of the accident in Caerphilly the man was hospitalised for ten days and was off work for a year. Advanced Gate Ltd, Mid Glamorgan, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £5,000 costs. The court heard how the company was contracted to manufacture and install the gate system. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident found that the underlying failure of the gate mechanism was as a result of inadequate design, assessment and control measures to ensure the gate was safe for use. HSE inspector Dean Baker said after the hearing: “Powered gates pose a risk to employees and members of the public. Those responsible for installing, maintaining and operating these gates need to make sure they are safe during installation and use. This accident could have been avoided if the clearly foreseeable risk of the gate falling had been identified and controlled.” Said DHF general manager and secretary Michael Skelding: “This case underlines how important it is that automated gate owners - and all those responsible for their maintenance - must insist that the company used to install or do work on a powered gate employs properly qualified installation engineers. “Unfortunately, unsafe installations are still being carried out by untrained personnel which results in gate installations which do not comply with legislations and are potentially dangerous. As an industry we are determined to keep on raising safety standards and confine accidents caused by dangerous gates to the history books.” Detailed guidance on powered gate safety, including specific guidance relating to telescopic gates, can be found on www.dhfonline.org.uk . In addition, there is information about DHF safety training courses for gate installers. Visitors to the website can also access the contact details of more than 100 qualified manufacturers, suppliers, installers and maintainers of powered gates and powered gate automation equipment. BOLTON GATE DEMONSTRATES ITS COMMITMENT TO GATE SAFETY TRAINING Bolton Gate, the nationwide industrial door and gate company, has seen its 30th powered gate engineer pass the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) powered gate safety diploma training course. Andrew Whistle, who joined the company last year, earned his diploma after attending the recent two-day training course held at Scunthorpe. Bolton Gate, a member of the DHF, believes training is the key to raising safety standards in the industry and expects more than 40 of its powered gate engineers to attain DHF diploma status by the end of 2016. The two-day training course ensures they are trained to provide and install fully compliant gates in all environments. It is recognised as one of the most comprehensive powered gate training schemes in Europe. During each course, delegates complete a number of training modules - covering all aspects of gate safety from initial risk assessment through to force testing - in order to obtain their coveted DHF gate safety diplomas. Topics covered include law and regulations, use of standards, risk assessment, testing and inspection, documentation, For further information on DHF training courses, and to book places, visit http://www.dhfonline.org.uk/powered-gate-safety-training-courses.aspx . Andrew Whistle is the 30th engineer on the Bolton Gate team to pass the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) powered gate safety diploma training course.