Three and a half years since the Gate Safe automated gate safety campaign began, founder Richard Jackson returned to Westminster to see the Government minister responsible for the Health and Safety Executive, Mike Penning.
The meeting on Thursday, March 13, was set up by Gate Safe’s patron, Madeleine Moon, MP for Bridgend. Ms Moon’s involvement in the Gate Safe campaign stems from the automated gate accident in Bridgend in 2010, which resulted in the death of Karolina Golabek, aged five.
The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the Gate Safe work to date, and organisers report that Mike Penning wholly supported the need to continue to enhance awareness of the importance of adopting the correct safety protocol for automated gates.
Afterwards, Richard Jackson said: “Since October 2010, when Gate Safe handed in a petition to 10 Downing Street to highlight the urgent need to address safety issues relating to automated gates, our campaign has made considerable progress. However, we would like to work with the Health and Safety Executive to further improve the understanding of what constitutes a safe automated gate – and what steps must be taken to establish – and maintain – a safe electric gate.”
Madeleine Moon added: “The meeting with the minister was very positive and we appear to have made considerable progress. Mike Penning had been shocked to learn of the death of two children as a result of problems with electric gates and was eager to ensure that a close working relationship between the HSE and Gate Safe is achieved to raise safety standards. I was especially pleased that he instructed officials to ensure that HSE guidance for gate installation was updated quickly on their website.”
Pictured left to right are Richard Jackson, Mike Penning and Madeleine Moon.
Visit www.gate-safe.org.
