Automatic gate safety depends on the complete entrance, including the gate structure, operator and protective devices (DASMA’s system guidance). For a property owner, the practical starting point is knowing where people should walk and which conditions require the gate to be taken out of use.
Keep the operating and maintenance instructions for the equipment installed at your property. Those instructions should guide testing and service rather than a checklist written for a different system.
Give pedestrians a separate route
Pedestrians should use an entrance separated from the automated vehicle gate (DASMA). Make that route clear to visitors and keep it usable.
Don’t allow children to play near the gate or use its controls, and don’t reach through the gate to activate it (DASMA owner guidance). Keep portable controls where children can’t reach them.
Understand where someone could become trapped
An entrapment area is a place where the moving gate could trap a person against another object or part of the system (DASMA). A technician needs to evaluate the hazards around the actual gate, including the spaces near walls, fencing and the operating mechanism (DASMA).
Ask the installer to explain these areas during the equipment walkthrough. This makes it easier to recognize when a new obstruction or a change near the entrance needs attention.
Know what you can observe
From a safe location, look for visible damage and changes in normal operation. Useful things to report include:
- A gate that sags or appears out of position.
- Damaged sensor mounts or exposed moving hardware.
- A new noise, hesitation or unexpected reversal.
- Warning signs that are missing or no longer readable.
Don’t touch moving parts or open an electrical enclosure to investigate. A photograph taken from outside the gate area can help document what you noticed.
Leave protective devices in service
Do not bypass a sensor to stop a fault message or get a gate moving again. DASMA’s UL 325 guidance prohibits modifications that defeat the monitoring of external entrapment-protection devices (operator guidance).
If a device appears damaged or the gate operates unpredictably, discontinue use and arrange service (DASMA owner guidance). Follow the equipment’s documented procedure for taking it out of use, and seek help if you haven’t been trained on that procedure.
Keep a simple service record
Keep the operator model information, manuals and service reports together. Record when a problem started and what was observed, rather than describing every issue as “the gate is broken.”
Ask the servicing technician to explain the inspection and testing schedule for your installation. For an existing problem, contact ACJ about gate repair and describe any damage or safety-related warning.