CPSC Operation Safe Gate

CPSC’s Operation Safe Gate wants to put an end to preventable tragedies caused by automatic security gates.

While the good news is that deaths and injuries have gone down dramatically since the tougher Underwriters Laboratories 325 (UL 325) took effect in 2000, incidents and deaths still happen.

CPSC estimates that there are about 300 emergency room injuries each year due to automatic gates. Many of the injuries have been serious and resulted in cuts, broken bones, hematomas and amputations.  In addition, CPSC has received four tragic reports of fatalities in recent years, including an 8 year old, an 11 year old and a 12 year old.

The largest number of serious problems reported to CPSC generally occurs with public access gates around communities, condominiums and apartment buildings, which sometimes have older installations that do not meet current safety standards. You can also find these sliding and swinging gates at the entrances of private homes as well as commercial establishments. So what can you do?

Operation Safe Gate Safety Tips

If you live in a community where an automatic security gate is present, warn children of the dangers:

• NEVER play on or around automatic gates
• NEVER stick hands, legs or head through openings on gates. These are called entrapment zones or pinch points.
• Pedestrians should NEVER walk through an automated gate system that is intended for vehicle traffic only.
• A separate entrance for pedestrian traffic is a must.

Those who install gates should:

• Eliminate all gaps of more than 2.25 inches.
• Eliminate pinch points. This prevents hands or feet from

getting caught between the gate and the roller.

• Installing guarding on exposed rollers.
• Post warning signs on each side of the gate

Installing safer gates and sharing safety information is a must to help prevent tragedies. Together, let’s end automatic gate related deaths and injuries.

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About U.S. CPSC:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction.  Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals – contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.

For more lifesaving information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC or sign up to receive our e-mail alerts. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired.