A leading heritage consortium called in the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) when it put the spotlight on security and safety at their conference.
Treasure Houses of England represents Blenheim Palace, Castle Howard and Chatsworth and many other much loved stately homes, palaces and castles.
It says the security and safety of staff and visitors is a vital concern to them, which is why they hosted the best practice conference. Over the two day event, security specialists from Treasure Houses of England were given presentations by the police, CCTV and alarm providers, insurers and specialists in asset management.
The DHF's Neil Sampson, who is managing director of Solar Gates UK Ltd, spelled out the safety risks posed by incorrectly installed and poorly maintained automatic gates and barriers.
Powered gates and automatic perimeter access control systems are an increasingly common sight at large heritage sites. But many older installations are not compliant with current safety standards and pose a serious risk to human life, Sampson told delegates.
"In recent years, three children and three adults have been killed in powered gate accidents in the UK. There are more than 500,000 automated gates in service in car parks, commercial buildings, schools, apartment blocks, public buildings and heritage sites like yours. Yet it's estimated less than 30 per cent of these are safe to use.
"The young and the infirm are the most vulnerable to dangers posed by unsafe gates. It's vital that installed gates and barriers are checked for safety and that all new installations are carried out by competent companies who abide by the industry code of conduct and employ trained engineers.
Sampson, who is chairman of the DHF Powered Gate Group, which represents the leading manufacturers, suppliers, installers and maintainers of powered automatic gates and gate automation equipment, added:
"Properly installed and maintained automated gates are perfectly safe to use. Our industry will not tolerate unsafe automated gate installations being carried out by unskilled installers, or gates that are dangerous due to lack of testing and maintenance. It is to the credit of Treasure Houses of England that it wants to be aware of the potential risks posed by unsafe gates and understand how that risk will have no place on their estates."
In his presentation he outlined the legislation governing gate safety. He pointed out to delegates that it was the legal duty of building owners and landlords as well as gate installers, maintainers and repairers to ensure the safe operation of automatic gates.
He then described how Leeds Castle, one of the member properties of Treasure Houses of England, had benefited from the installation of a wide range of automated security systems supplied by Solar Gates UK Ltd. These included barriers, automated swing gates, solar powered gate automation and door and gate entry systems.
The DHF is the UK's leading authority on powered gate safety. Training is compulsory for member companies' personnel. Members comply with a rigorous and binding code of conduct and comply with, or exceed, all current safety standards.
