Heras welcomes introduction of revised standards for automated gates

02/21/2022

Heras has welcomed the introduction of revised standards for automated gates that recently came into force as part of an industry-wide bid to implement more- stringent requirements that increase safety levels.

The revised CE certification will apply to new automated bi-folding, swing and sliding gates – which are usually large heavy devices with large automated moving elements – that are manufactured from now onwards to meet revised safety standards.

Heras, which is Europe’s leading end-to-end supplier of permanent and mobile perimeter protection solutions, has confirmed that all the products in its entrance control portfolio now meet the requirements of the revised standard. Specifically, this applies to the company’s swing, bi-fold and sliding gates.

Although the revised CE standard applies to new products, existing gates are not affected and remain compliant if you maintain them according to protocol.

Heras’s Chief Marketing and Technology Officer Ian Crosby said that the company welcomes the revised CE certification and said that the company has acted swiftly to confirm compliance with the CE mark. It has worked to ensure that it can offer peace of mind to customers that the products the company produces and installs meet all regulations.

“Compliance with industry and regulatory standards is integral to Heras, as safety always comes first,” said Mr Crosby. “This approach enables us to do what we do best: producing high-quality, durable and reliable products that are used on sites from schools and distribution centres all the way through to sites of strategic and national importance.

“These sites rely on Heras to ensure their perimeters are completely safe and secure, of which entrance control is pivotal. This is why we have acted quickly, to ensure the compliance of new products ahead of the revised and tighter European CE standard.”

Mr Crosby added: “It’s important to stress that the introduction of the revised standard doesn’t mean that existing gates with current CE marking are suddenly unsafe. It is about drawing a line in the sand from which a more-rigorous standard applies moving forward.”

Heras also confirmed that, as a member of the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF), it welcomed the DHF’s support and guidance around the incoming standard and its efforts to raise awareness of the standard and the importance of compliance. Heras has been notifying customers and all those responsible for the management of sites about the changes – which can be summed up in six key points.

Six key points about the revised standard

People piggybacking on a powered sliding gate – this is a problem that the stricter standard is designed to stop. A gate must be able to detect that there is a person on the moving part of the In this case, the gate must stop or reverse in time to protect the person from injuring themselves.
Extra photocell for a powered sliding gate – gates contain many detection systems, including rubber strip safety edges, which when pressed emit a signal to make the gate stop and/or retract. In addition, most gates have photocells, which are sensors that detect people or objects. The revised standard calls for an extra photocell (in addition to the existing photocell) to make the detection of people or objects even more accurate.
Permitted forces at the rear and front of a powered sliding gate – the current standard already specifies that the gate must not exert too much force when closing. This applies to the front leading edge. To further increase safety, this same feature must also be applied to the rear end of the gate as it The revised standard specifies that the permitted forces at the rear must also be limited.
Safety distance between fencing and a powered sliding gate – as most gates have an adjacent piece of fencing either side of the opening, the space between the gate and the fence must also be taken into consideration. This is intended to make sure that there is a safe distance between them and that there is no possibility to trap an arm or leg.
Fall-over protection for swing gates and bi-folding gates – these types of gates usually have a substantial weight to them, so it is imperative that these gates are not able to fall over onto someone, as the consequences of this could be life-threatening. Further to this, the revised standard states that if a hinge fails or breaks, the wing leaf must never fall over – a safety feature must be installed to ensure this never happens.
Extra photocell for a powered swing gate – just as for automated sliding gates, an automated swing gate must also have a safety photocell installed to detect a person or object when the gate is opening. This is in addition to the one that detects a person or object as the gate closes.

Mr Crosby added: “At Heras, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of perimeter protection solutions, and it’s important that we always stay one step ahead – and in this case, we have acted quickly to ensure that our automated gate products are tested to and compliant with the revised standard.”

For more information, go to CE marking.