Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/45004
10 • NOVEMBER 2011 • WORLD FENCE NEWS New code provisions address automated vehicular gate systems safety BY JOE HETZEL, P.E., TECHNICAL DIRECTOR DOOR & ACCESS SYSTEMS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (DASMA) During the past two development cycles, four International Code Coun- cil (ICC) model codes have incorpo- rated provisions to address automated vehicular gate systems safety. These provisions alert code authorities of the need for a safety inspection of auto- mated gate systems to help reduce the number of injuries and deaths associ- ated with these gates. Until recently, no code authority has required a permit and safety in- spection for an automated gate system. Consequently, the industry seeks to ad- dress this significant gap in public safety. Potential injuries and death Automated vehicular gate systems provide convenience and security. However, these machines also produce high levels of force, which can result in pinching injuries, impalements, bro- ken bones, and, most seriously, as- phyxiation and death. Therefore, proper site design, installation, main- tenance and inspection are essential to reduce hazards. Aggressive industry activity The gate and gate operator indus- AVAILABLE! CUSTOM ITEMS try has worked diligently to address automated gate system safety by cre- ating standards and requirements to be included in job specifications. While such specifications would be best based on requirements found in ICC model codes, significant updates to standards needed to occur before suc- cess in the code development process could be achieved. Up until the mid-1990s, vehicular gate systems installed without ade- quate concern for pedestrians resulted in numerous injuries and deaths. The Consumer Product Safety Commis- sion (CPSC) collected data on these accidents and concluded that the exist- ing standards needed strengthening. Thus, UL 325 – a gate and door operator standard that had been in ex- istence since the early 1970s – was substantially revised in the late 1990s. UL 325 changes that became effective in March 2000 brought significant changes, requiring two levels of en- trapment protection. Meanwhile, representatives of the American Fence Association (AFA), the National Ornamental & Miscella- neous Metals Association (NOMMA) and the Door & Access Systems Man- ufacturers Association (DASMA) first envisioned the inclusion of require- ments in the Code Council model codes in 1998. They believed that codes should reference not only UL 325, but also additional standards that would govern gate design and installa- tion. These groups formed an ad hoc committee to develop and maintain the content of a gate construction stan- dard, known as ASTM F2200, which was first published in 2002. A quick checklist for code officials The contents of the UL 325 and ASTM F2200 standards are best summed up in the following checklist that code officials can use to perform a fast visual inspection of an automated gate system. 1. Listed/labeled operator: Auto- matic gate operators for vehicular gates must bear a "listed" label from a Nationally Recognized Testing Labo- ratory (NRTL) such as UL or ETL which indicates that the unit complies with the requirements of UL 325. 2. Warning signs: Warning signs instructing pedestrians to stay clear of the gate must be placed on both sides of the gate in clear view. 3. Separate pedestrian gate: Where pedestrians are likely to be present, a pedestrian walk gate must be provided in the vicinity of an automated vehic- ular gate. The walk gate must not be within the vehicular gate frame or the area where that gate travels. 4. Reversing sensors: All auto- mated gates must have external sen- sors (typically edge sensors or photo eyes) properly installed. When trig- gered, the sensors will stop or reverse a gate in both the open and close di- rections of travel. 5. External operator controls: To avoid entrapment at the time of activa- tion, all gate-operating controls must be mounted farther than 6 feet from the gate. 6. Openings in gate: All openings in a sliding gate up to a 6-foot height must be guarded or screened. (Editor's note: This was recently changed from "up to a 4-foot height.") Openings must be less than 2¼ inches. 7. Gaps around gate: Fences, posts or other stationary objects must be closer than 2¼ inches or farther than 16 inches away from all gates for their full travel length. 8. Travel stops: Permanent stops must be installed to prevent a sliding gate from traveling past the designed contin ued on pa g e 12