Electric automated gates are an easy way to ensure the security of private premises and can be used for all sized properties. However, automated security gates must today meet all of the relevant safety requirements, allowing the customer and the public to be confident the job has been done properly.

When they are opening and closing, the force of the gates must now be limited to the British/European standards. The gates must reverse if they hit someone or something or the gates should have sensors that can stop them if someone has been detected. This is usually light beams which stop the gates before they reach an obstacle. All gates also now must have an emergency release mechanism in case someone gets trapped.

The first commercial electric gate systems were hydraulic and designed for reliability and ease of use. The cost of the hydraulic systems however meant that other companies started producing more affordable electro-mechanical alternatives.

The most popular electric gates for residential properties are swing gates, but these are not the only option available. Articulated gate openers can be used for gates with wide posts allowing opening in small spaces. Underground gate openers, as the name suggests, are placed underneath the gate to provide discreet opening of the gate.

If lack of space is an issue or the driveway behind the gates is on a steep incline, a better option would be a sliding gate. Sliding gates are very popular in a commercial environment.

Electric gates alone, however solid and imposing they may be, cannot guarantee a completely secure environment so commonly electric locks are used to boost the locking effectiveness of the gate motors.

For effective access control, gates are recommended to be used in combination with other security features to for a full security system, such as security cameras, additional gates in conjunction with the main gate, electronic keycards and keypads and security guards.

Various safety devices are available to make sure that gates today meet the highest of European safety standards. When gates are installed safely, meeting all of these relevant safety requirements, a CE Mark can be applied for, so everyone can be sure the job has been done correctly.

Failure to exercise this duty of care could expose everyone open to litigation in the event of an accident involving injury or damage to property.

There is only one way to have safe automated gating and that is for it to be made and installed to these current CE regulations and that calls for expert installation.