DHF (Door & Hardware Federation) has announced that it will mark another Gate Safety Month by offering an upgrade of its second day of the 2-day Level 2 Award in Safety and Level 4 Award in Legislation combined training course to free accreditation.
The free upgrade (worth £60) will apply for courses taking place on 19th and 20th October at DHF’s Tamworth-based training academy, with the course ideally suited to management and those with responsibility for the legal compliance of the installation or maintenance. The second day focuses on what is required in the technical file and the company’s legal responsibilities. DHF remains the only provider across the industry to deliver accredited theory-based courses, with the offer also applying to the DHF Distance Learning Programme when booked throughout the month of October for the Level 2 AGTB Safety and Level 4 in AGTB & IGD Legislation combined course.
The announcement comes in the eighth year of the ‘gate safety’ campaign, launched by the federation in 2014 to promote the continued safe installation, repair, and maintenance of automated gates. Initially ‘gate safety week’, the campaign was re-named ‘gate safety month’ thereafter and has become a year-round campaign aimed at creating awareness and educating both the public and industry professionals on the dangers of poor installation and maintenance, as well as to spot an unsafe gate. The campaign has grown significantly over the years, with organisations such as NSI, HSE and The British Safety Council backing DHF’s continuing drive for best practice and higher standards.
Automated gates have become a more common sight on residential driveways, housing and apartment developments and industrial and commercial locations, and although safety statistics have proven unsettling, there is evidence that the message is getting through. As a result of its on-going training programmes, technical specifications, and collaborative working, DHF has made a considerable improvement in the quality of installations as well as the knowledge of installers throughout the UK. Indeed, the Automated Gate Group remains one of DHF’s most proactive.
“Without specialist knowledge, training, and equipment, it is almost impossible to say definitively whether a gate is safe and legally compliant or not, and elements such as structural integrity, moving parts hazards and electrical hazards are all areas to consider when assessing whether an automated gate is ‘fit for purpose’,” explains DHF’s Head of Commercial Operations, Patricia Sowsbery-Stevens. “DHF remains the ‘go to’ expert on the dangers centred around poorly installed and maintained powered gates. We are very pleased, therefore, to be able to make this offer to members and non-members on the eighth anniversary of the campaign that we started. The federation continues to prioritise training, accreditation, safety, and compliance in order that safe products are placed on the market.”
