The UK’s building and construction sector has pledged its support to a rapidly growing campaign to make unsafe automated gates a thing of the past.
Build UK comprises 27 of the industry’s largest main contractors and 40 leading trade associations representing over 11,500 specialist contractors. It is the latest organisation to back a vital national safety campaign designed to drastically reduce the number of accidents caused by automatic gates.
Build UK was created as a result of a merger earlier this year between the National Specialist Contractors’ Council and UK Contractors Group. It has put its weight behind Gate Safety Week being held from October 12 – 18 organised by the Door & Hardware Federation.
Keith Motson, Build UK’s communications manager said: “As the single voice of the construction industry’s contracting supply chain, Build UK fully supports the DHF’s Gate Safety Week initiative in raising awareness of the need for properly installed and maintained automated gates.”
Also joining the campaign is the 700 member-strong British Woodworking Federation. Its chief executive Iain McIlwee said: “As leaders in the field and in line with our promotion of standards, quality and best practice across the industry, the BWF would like to offer its support to the DHF and Gate Safety Week in raising awareness of meeting safety standards for powered gates.”
Gate Safety Week is being organised by the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) Powered Gate Group which comprises of leading manufacturers, suppliers, installers and maintainers of powered automatic gates and gate automation equipment.
In the run up to gate safety week, campaigners are actively encouraging best practice in all aspects of powered gates and will be working hard to further improve standards across the industry.
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.
There is comprehensive guidance for those responsible for specifying, managing and maintaining automatic gates on the Gate Safety Week website (www.gatesafetyweek.org.uk). This includes information on safety legislation and a detailed rundown of the safety features to look for on an automatic gate.
