Door Industry Journal - Winter 2015

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk powered gates POWERED GATE SAFETY UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT FOLLOWING COURT HEARING Safety campaigners are calling for checks to be carried out on powered gates to ensure they are safe. This follows a court hearing on November 17th, when a gate company admitted killing a six-year-old girl who was crushed to death by electric automated gates. Cheshire Gates and Automation Ltd admitted corporate manslaughter over the death of Semelia Campbell who had become trapped between the powered gate and a wall outside her home in Manchester. No evidence was offered at Manchester Crown Court over company director Kriston Kearns, 43, who was cleared of manslaughter. The company will be sentenced on December 1. Now the Door & Hardware Federation says the court case is a stark warning that powered gates are machines and - like all machinery - they can cause serious injury and death if they have not been manufactured, installed and maintained to the required standards. Michael Skelding, DHF general manager and secretary, said: “This court case demonstrates that the consequences of supplying automated gates that are unsafe can be severe. Installers and manufacturers need to take this lesson to heart and ensure that they understand and conform with the standards and legislation applicable to these machines. “Existing gates may well present dangers and we urge owners to have them inspected and maintained regularly. Owners and managers of powered gates, and also contractors called out to carry out service or repair work on gates, all have responsibility to ensure the gates are safe.” In the past ten years there have been seven deaths in the UK and Ireland, at least nine serious injuries and countless near misses caused by dangerous powered gates. Shockingly, it’s estimated that only 30% of the 500,000 automated gates in service in the UK are safe to use. For comprehensive guidance on powered gate safety visit http://www.dhfonline.org.uk/powered-gates- group.aspx To find out how to report a potentially unsafe gate and how to arrange a safety check visit http://gatesafetyweek.org.uk/gate-safety-week- public-zone/ Or contact the DHF on info@dhfonline.org.uk or 01827 52337.