Q&A I thought gates were safe!

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There was a terrible accident in our street a while ago where a small child got trapped in a closing gate. This was a real wakeup call for me, as I think of gates as things that guarantee our safety, not endanger us! Is there a particular type of gate that is safer, or what can I do to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen to my children? They often play in the front garden where the gate is, and a car arriving can’t necessarily see if they are near the gate’s path.

RENÉ SAYS: It is an unfortunate truth: Too many children have already died due to a lack of legislation around the installation of electric gates. Gates can be deadly; especially if they are not installed correctly, or if the safety devices are not installed as part of the system installation.

It is scary to think that at its most fundamental level, an automatic gate is roughly 227kg of metal being moved with a respectable amount of force and speed by a mostly mindless machine. If care is not taken to ensure that the system is safe, it is unnervingly easy for someone to be seriously injured or killed by a driveway gate.

It is crucial that you need to know the following about the gate at your home, or even the gate at the grandparents’ home:

• Does the gate reverse automatically if it hits someone or something?

• Does the gate have sensors that can stop it if something has been detected in its pathway?

• Have a closer look at the gate. Is there a part of the gate where someone could be trapped or get crushed while it is moving?

• Does your gate have an emergency release mechanism in case someone gets trapped?

• Do you check all safety devices and features of your gate on a regular basis? Make a note to yourself to check on a regular basis to ensure that the gate is in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, it continues to function as designed, and that safety is maintained. Now that you have done the checks, there are a few easy things that you can do to ensure your electric gate is safe and will not cause injury to any adult, child or even your beloved pet.

Swing and sliding gates each have their own individual set of safety measures. Take the time for these few easy steps to check how safe your swinging gate is. First place a dustbin in the path of where the gate opens and closes. This obstruction should prevent the gate from closing. The second step is to push a dustbin towards the gate when it is opening or closing. The gate should stop and go back slightly.

Thirdly, when the gate is opening, try to hold the gate at the leading edge. It should be possible to stop the gate by applying light pressure.

And lastly, if the gate is opening against a wall, place the bin against the wall. You should be able to remove the bin when the gate has opened.

Sliding gates are the most common type of electric gates and can also be checked for safety in just a few steps.

To start, place a dustbin in the middle of the gate pathway. This obstruction should prevent the gate from closing. Secondly, place a dustbin behind the gates, and press to open; the gate should not move. Thirdly, push a dustbin towards the gate when it is closing. The gate should stop and go back slightly.

And then, lastly, when the gate is opening, try to hold it at the leading edge. It should be possible to stop the gate by applying light pressure.

The most important guideline of all is to keep the area of travel clear. No matter how cautious one is, no matter how vigilant, accidents do happen. Therefore, the best course of action is to first ensure, before attempting to operate an automated gate, that no children or pets are in the vicinity. A courtesy light can also be installed to provide visual indication before and during gate travel.

We all know that our children are curious. That is a simple fact of life. But curiosity can quickly turn to tragedy if proper care isn’t exercised when it comes to securing the gate motor controls.

Ensure that only adults have access to the controls. Operator covers should be locked in place and the keys kept in a safe location where little eyes can’t see them and little hands can’t reach them. ●