A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) information document has been issued to owners of vertically opening powered rolling doors, due to the number of fatalities and serious injuries incurred by children from playing on them.
The information document is intended for the following:
-
Property Managers.
-
Property Owners.
-
Landlords.
-
Car Park Operators.
-
Local Authorities.
-
People who own, operate or install such doors as part of a business.
Commenting on the most recent fatality and subsequent prosecution in October 2005, where the owner pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws and fined £50,000 plus £50,000 costs, Phil Gifford, Principal Inspector, of the HSE’s Investigating Unit said:
“This was a tragic loss of life that could have so easily been prevented.
"Car parks are not playgrounds and the owners of such doors should make sure all the foreseeable risks are considered in buildings where children are likely to be present.”
The information document provides guidelines for owners of powered rolling doors, tackling such areas as the following:
-
A Door powerful enough to lift an adult or child, is a hazard, therefore the owner should review their risk assessment.
-
The most appropriate safeguard or combination of safeguards should then be selected to ensure safety.
-
Retrofit options may be available from the door supplier, otherwise a bespoke solution will be required.
-
If a door is modified or refurbished and this results in significant changes to the control or operation of the door, then the door will have to be CE marked by the person undertaking the modification or refurbishment.
The information document has much more helpful advice to offer and can be accessed from the HSE Webpage by clicking the following:
HSE warns of dangers to children playing on powered rolling doors
Article by Alexandra Johnston
