Safety First - 11 August 2011

One year on in remembrance. The industry will well remember the unfortunate fatalities of 2010, but has the industry really moved on, have the standard of installations improved for clients that are looking for these types of security access systems. In the main part the answer is yes, but the consumer is still confused as to the requirement for safety around these types of gateway.

The cost for such projects has also increased accordingly, in some cases installation costs are up by £1000.00. It was also a disappointing year for Aesif in those attempts to involve manufactures and distributors in participation in setting an industry training standard for products, and so gate installer continually question installation requirement. 

A plaque commemorating little five year old Karolina Marie Golabek whom was fatally injured in a sliding automated gate at Bridgend Wales on the 3^rd July 2010 was unveiled today in the towns’ local park. John Birkett Director General of AESIF today joined in the BBC Wales breakfast time programme to comment on the BS standards and requirements for installers within the industry along with the local MP for Wales.

The gate safety conference back in November 2010 was well attended with over 2750 hits the following day to the AESIF web site, but there was little interest in the AESIF certificate of competence scheme and no new members joined AESIF has a result. So what went wrong, well quite simply the industry is not going to be policed and therefor there is no reasons to participate in training which some see as a waste of time. Some manufacture backed distributors have set up product training schemes on their own, but still there is no quality control or assessment with the installer at the sites in question.

It is the AESIF view that until installers are required to have their work inspected for safety the trend will continue, amazing to think that in the short time of one year, example:  all electrical installer of solar energy must now  have their installation checked and be approved.

Having said all of this, it does not mean that all gate / door installations are poorly installed, nor do Aesif imply that installations are unsafe, just that there is no registered scheme outside of Aesif that provides assessment of installers within the industry in order to raise the standards for all. As a member of the public always insist on using an AESIF installer in doing so you can help raise standards within our industry, help AESIF by backing the Gate Safety Contractor Scheme.

In what other industries do you not require a qualification?

John Birkett       Director General AESIF

Michael Pringel   President AESIF

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