Where to Place Gate Operator Controls

© 2003 Door & Access Systems
Publish Date: Spring 2003
Author: Tom Wadsworth
Page 64


TECHNICAL TIPS

Where to Place Gate Operator Controls

Location, location, location.

For safety, remember these three priorities when you mount the controls for automatic vehicular gates. These controls, often mounted near the gate, can include key switches, card readers, keypads, and telephone entry systems.

Placement of these controls is a critical safety issue. If you install automated vehicular gates, you need to know these UL 325 requirements:

1. “Gate operator controls must be far enough from the gate so that the user is prevented from coming in contact with the gate while operating the controls.” This distance may vary, but a minimum of six feet is generally recommended.

2. “Gate operator controls must be placed so that the user has full view of the gate area when the gate is moving.”

3. “Controls intended to be used to reset an operator after an entrapment protection device has initiated a shutdown must be located in the line-of-sight of the gate.” The person resetting a gate operator must have a clear view of the gate system. This ensures that all obstructions and/or persons are clear of the gate.

4. “Outdoor or easily accessible controls shall have a security feature to prevent unauthorized use.” Lock boxes, often required by fire departments, are frequently mounted near gates.

Bottom Line: Position the controls so that no one can ever reach through a vehicular gate to initiate operation.

For more information on this important safety issue, see DASMA Technical Data Sheet (TDS) #360. Prepared by members of DASMA’s Operator & Electronics Division Technical Committee, this sheet is available online at www.dasma.com.