Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk Automated Gates & Barriers It is also worth noting that protecting against hinge failure has been a requirement since 2000 (by reference to EN 12604:2000), if a hinge fails, the gate must not fall. In the 2017 revision (by reference to EN 12604:2017), this was relaxed a little to allow a minor movement of 300mm from the vertical. This allows the use of a catch lanyard rather than engineering solutions like reinforced hinge structures or triple hinging. The requirement to protect against hinge failure is not new, there has only been a very minor relaxation of the long-standing 2000 requirement. CEN has now amended EN 12453:2017 and published it as EN 12453:2017+A1:2021; all indications are that it will eventually achieve harmonisation. When it is published by BSI in the UK as BS EN 12453:2017+A1:2021, it will no longer need to contain the national foreword warning against using it to confer legal compliance, thus ending 10 years of doubt and confusion over automated gate standards in the UK. During these 20 or so years, very little has changed with EN 12453, the basic concepts for safety and legal compliance have remained constant. Had all systems been manufactured, installed, and maintained in conformity with EN 12453 since 2000, all but one of the 20 or so incidents that have led to death, injury, and prosecution would not have occurred. However, in that time, nearly everything has changed in our industry. There are still pockets of confusion and misinformation, but overall, the message has gradually filtered through. The support from the industry through training and educating its people is commendable and things are now much better in the field; systems are being made safe and compliant, most companies in the industry are now getting on board. Only a small minority of criminal outliers remain. Sadly, these will continue to make waves, but across the industry, the transformation since 2010 has been dramatic, something our industry should be very proud of. dhf has issued a revised industry code of practice for 2022. Released in January, DHF TS 013:2021 replaces the earlier TS 011 (gates & barriers) and TS 012 (industrial & garage doors) and now covers gates, barriers, industrial doors, and garage doors in a single series of documents. Part 1 is the on-site guide covering safety, part 2 covers legislation for installation, maintenance and repair companies, and part 3 is guidance for owners and managers. The new code encompasses all the changes to EN 12453 and explains how to achieve legal compliance. Download a copy at: https://www.dhfonline.org.uk/publications/technical-specifications/1.htm (click on gates and barriers). dhf continues to deliver state-of-the-art fully accredited training on all aspects of safety and legal compliance in classrooms or online: https://www.dhfonline.org.uk/training/automated-gates-training/26.htm Nick Perkins, DHF Training and Compliance Officer
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