I have written about barrier gate equipment safety and inspections many times on this site. Safety concerns apply equally to individual residences and gated residential communities as well as business, public and governmental agencies.
I found this video by Liftmaster (an ECI supplier). Although detailed and meant for the installation company, it can be used as a guideline for your own safety inspections on swing gates and slide gates. It is entitled “How to Inspect Swing and Slide Gate Installations Using the Site Planning Safety Checklist”.
These guidelines check for adherence to UL and ASTM standards. Among other things, it asks:
- Does your gate operator meet current UL Standards?
- Are gate warning signs posted and visible?
- Are entrapment zones equipped with authorized and properly functioning devices? (Note: Entrapment zones are locations where people can be caught or held in a position where they may be injured.)
Gate operators have classification ratings under UL 325. Single homes (or a residential application) is a Class I facility. Apartment or condominiums, as well as gated communities, are Class II. Class III encompasses industrial applications. Maximum security facilities are considered to be Class IV.
Some of the interesting and easily inspected elements include entrapment checklists as they apply to both swing gate and slide gate applications under ASTM F2200.
- Gates should have smooth bottom edges; pickets should not extend past the bottom to prevent objects from getting caught under the gate.
- Access control devices must be mounted a minimum of six feet from the gate.
- Any barbed wire must be at least six feet above grade but razor wire must be at least eight feet above grade.
- Separate gates for pedestrians must be available and out of reach from the gate.
You may find your gate operator was manufactured prior to 2000. If it was, it should not be repaired since it may not have proper entrapment protection.
We caution you to leave the more technical aspects to trained professionals such as ECI. Learn more about Automatic Vehicle Gate Systems and operators.
Call us at 847.949.0134 for service or preventative maintenance on your barrier gates and operators or for a proposal on your existing project. Or click on the box below for direct contact information.
