Which Safety Features Should You Have on your Automated Gate?

When purchasing an automated gate, its safety requirements will be established by a risk assessment to make sure the possibility of injury or damage is minimised. Here are some of the safety features that can improve the safety of your automatic gate.

Infrared beams/ Photocells – Automated Gate Safety Feature

Photocells are installed in pairs and detect objects breaking infrared beams, emitted by one and received by the other without physical contact. This increases the safety of electric gates which signals to the gates that something is in their path and orders them to stop and reverse.

A typical swing gate automation photocell set-up will see a pair of photocells placed outside the gate (if they open inwards). The second pair should be should ideally be placed inside beyond the travel of the gates as they open inside the gates.

Read our blog to find out more on gate automation cells, and why they are set up this way!

Loop Detectors as a Safety Feature

Both loop detectors and magnetic resistance devices are Laid into channels cut in driveway. When a vehicle is present, both recognize the presence of the large metallic object and send a signal to the gate control panel.

Loop detectors have two ways of operating.

The first is an inductive loop which is a ring of a special cable laid in the driveway. A current flows through the cable and generates an electromagnetic filed. When a large metallic object, such as a car, interacts with the electromagnetic field, the, loop detector signals the gate controls.

The second is a magneto-resistive system, which uses a slimline detector rather than a loop of cable, only embedded into the driveway.

Why loops are used rather than photocells for egress control? Find out here in our blog!

Safety Edges as a Safety Feature

Safety edges are designed to prevent damage to anything coming into contact with the moving parts of electric gates and barriers. There are two main types of safety edges, mechanical and resistive.

Both usually consist of an aluminium channel which is attached to the surface to be protected. The aluminium channel then holds a length of compressible rubber. Either mechanical or resistive detection passes along the inside of the rubber profile. When something impacts the rubber and deforms the profile enough to complete the circuit, a signal is sent to the gate control panel which stops the gate. Find out more from our safety edge guide here!

Physical Guarding as a Safety Feature

Physical guarding can be applied where electronic safety device failure would allow access to danger areas. As an example, sliding gates with vertical bars creating vertical spaces in the gate should have mesh guarding applied to prevent a limb from being inserted between the bars as the gate moves. This prevents the possibility of shearing and crushing injuries.

Signs for Automatic Gate Safety

It is a wise idea to consider various warning signs to alert users, regular and occasional visitors and the public to the operation of automatic gates.

Anyone who is installing an automatic gate in the UK also needs to be aware of what the safety risks are and make sure they have carried out a full safety audit for the gate.

User education is also important when it comes to automatic gates. It’s key that every owner of an automatic gate is well versed on how to use it correctly and safely.

LinkCare is the UK’s largest independent supplier of kits, gate motors and parts for automatic gates. As specialists in gate automation, we are able to recommend trusted companies for installation and maintenance across the UK. For more information, call us on 01895 232626 or visit our contact page.