We Can Do It. Together.

On Friday, November 17, 2023, the fence and gate industry was saddened to learn of another tragic accident that took the life a 9-year-old girl in Tucson, AZ. The investigation is still underway. The incident happened on the heels of Gate Safety Awareness Month, where the industry focuses attention on the importance of industry professionals using best practices and industry standards to improve gate safety.

This is not a new fight for many industry professionals. In 1998, industry leaders came together and worked for three years to address automated gate safety and develop the first standard, the ASTM F2200. The men and women who worked on the standard represented all aspects of the industry, installers, manufacturers, and others. To elevate our industry professionals, education programs were developed, and people passionate about gate safety worked to raise awareness and improve safety.

In 2022, almost 25 years after the initial meeting to improve safety, the safety principles that applied to manual gates in ASTM F1184. Today, multiple tools can be used in conjunction with raising awareness and education.  The standards that improve safety continue to evolve and expand to include various gate types. Standards Developing Organizations, like ASTM and UL are made up of people who work together to share their knowledge and expertise. Like the leaders who worked together many years ago, today's industry professionals want to make a difference and eliminate gate accidents.

We must unify to elevate our profession. We must use every tool at our disposal to raise awareness to educate our industry and the public about gate safety.  We must create leaders who can work with code officials and licensing agencies to get safety right. This problem is not something we as an industry can solve alone. We need community leaders to step forward and demand change. We need knowledgeable installers who invest in themselves and their employees. We need to partner with the families and loved ones who have lost loved ones who have the impact stories that can propel our movement.

There’s not one solution. It is awareness. It is education.  It is certifying professionals. It is creating new and innovative ways to install our products. It is working with Standards developing organizations, specifiers, and code enforcement officials. Insurance companies have a role, and yes, in some cases, it is licensing.

Most of all, it is you. What will you do to make a difference?