Locks and Security News: your weekly locks and security industry newsletter
17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

Your industry news - first

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Check doors for safety following fatality, DHF urges

The tragic death of a woman who died after getting caught in an automatic car park door underlines the need for all those responsible for automated doors to ensure they are safe. So says the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF), the trade body which represents suppliers, installers and maintainers of powered doors, gates and traffic barriers.

The woman, understood to be in her 30s, is thought to have got into difficulty while accessing the automatic rolling shutter at a private parking basement at an apartment complex in Cambridge. The accident is being investigated by the police and the Health & Safety Executive.

Said DHF training officer Nick Perkins: "This tragic death is a stark reminder to building owners, landlords and all those responsible for properties with any kind of automated door or gate that they have a legal obligation to ensure the safe operation of those doors and gates.

"They have liabilities under the Health & Safety at Work Act to ensure automated doors and gates are safe and subject to regular planned preventative maintenance. Engineers and maintenance operatives called out to carry out work on doors and gates also have a legal obligation to not put unsafe doors and gates back into service until they are made safe."

The DHF says one third of all powered roller shutter garage doors in the UK are unsafe and not fit for purpose. It is thought there is a near miss with an industrial or car park door every single day of the week in the UK.

Said Nick Perkins: "Large numbers of dangerous doors are still in service today and responsible maintainers face constant resistance from owners in regard to the need for safety related work. A safe door is one that is protected from structural failure, crushing people or vehicles, falling back in the event of a suspension system fault and one which will prevent persons from being lifted to a place of danger.
"All those responsible for the safety of doors must ensure new installations are fully certified and CE marked."

DHF offer comprehensive industrial and garage door safety and compliance training with their Industrial Door Safety Diploma course that is rapidly gaining popularity as the awareness of the complexity of providing the correct levels of safety spreads.
www.dhfonline.org.uk(1).pdf 

More information on door and gate safety can be obtained from www.hse.gov.uk

31st August 2016