Safe gates for schools

With the school holidays just around the corner, many schools are thinking carefully about what maintenance work needs to be carried out across their sites over the summer months. Here at Gateway Automation we are encouraging schools and educational sites to take the school holidays to not only ensure that their sites are protected but also to review the safety levels of their security equipment.

How gates can protect schools from crime and reduce truancy

Security is high on the agenda for many schools, ensuring that only authorized visitors can access the site and that the safety of their pupils is safeguarded. Equally, it is just as important that schools are able to ensure that their students stay safely inside the school premises and that they are able to effectively prevent truancy among students and perimeter security tools can help with both aspects.

Whether this is achieved through access control equipment like intercoms, keypads, cards or fobs, or by installing a turnstile system allowing staff to check credentials, it should be high on the agenda when looking at how to meet their expected requirement and one key tool that is common place is the use of security gates.

Gate safety

A strong security gate is one of the most effective forms of access control and creates a physical barrier that acts as an obstacle and a deterrent against crime. However, it is vitally important that schools have their gates fitted by professional installers who are aware of how to make a gate safe as well as secure. Further to this it is equally important that those gates are maintained to a high standard, rather than left in a dangerous state. Neglecting to have them fixed can lead to fines, damage to the school’s reputation and in some cases, and worst of all, a devastating loss of life or injury to pupils, staff and visitors.

Gateway Automation provide a range of gates to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. We are proud to be certified as Gate Safe Aware Installers. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 682255 or take a look at our brochure which can be viewed here: http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/brochure.

The dangers of urban exploration and how to safeguard your business premises

One of the benefits of the world wide web is that it can bring together online communities built around shared interests. However, for owners of vacant properties and facility managers, one online interest and the community that has grown around it has become a source of constant headaches. That is urban exploration.

What is urban exploration?

Urban exploration is the act of visiting old abandoned buildings and documenting what you find through photographs which are then typically shared online with fellow hobbyists. Whilst these groups and communities usually practice a motto of leaving buildings as you find them, there are many dangers both for themselves and for the owners of these buildings.

Whilst urban explorers often have the best intentions, posting their photographs online often attracts far more people into these buildings which are often unsafe and can also act as scouting material for criminal gangs, thieves and travelers looking to exploit the sites.

In recent years there have been cases of urban explorers being badly injured, or even losing their lives while making their way into or around these often old and unsafe buildings.

What does the law say?

While trespass is a civil offense and explorers risk arrest and punishment, there are legal repercussions for property owners too. Under the Defective Premises Act and the Occupiers Liability Act, property owners have a duty of care towards anyone who visits their site and this means if someone is injured due to a failure to repair or maintain their property they could be liable. This means it is absolutely critical that property owners take steps to prevent urban explorers from gaining access to their property.

What can be done?

There are plenty of different methods for securing a vacant property from trespass. Strong perimeter security tools such as gates and barriers are an important place to start. However, every property is different and may require different approaches to put a stop to unauthorised access.

Gateway Automation provide a range of products to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more and to arrange a risk assessment, please call us on 01522 682255.