Pedestrian gates - inward opening or outward opening?

If you are looking to install pedestrian safety gates within your factory, you may be wondering whether to have them inward opening or outward opening, At Clarity, we have installed 100's of barriers with gates  all over the UK. In this article we will discuss the pro's and con's of each and how you can make your factory safer. By the end of this article you will know the best option for you.

What is an inward opening pedestrian gate?

An inward opening pedestrian gate is a gate which opens inwards towards the path rather than towards the FLT traffic, this type of gate is recommended in the PAS13 code of practise as it prevent pedestrians from walking out straight in front of any FLT traffic, this type of gate is also known as a 'calming' gate - the pedestrian has to physically stop at the gate, open the gate towards them before proceeding to cross the roadway. This has the advantage of creating more awareness of the surroundings and therefore could be seen as the safer option when choosing an inward opening gate. The need to stop, open the gate before crossing could also give any FLT operators more time to react if they have not made eye contact at this stage.

An outward opening gate, is as its name suggests - a gate which opens outwards into the flow of traffic, this type of gate may not offer the same level of awareness for the operators however, there are some potential advantages with an outward opening gate:

1. An outward opening gate sends the gate into the path of an FLT truck making it more visible to the driver that may not have seen the pedestrian
2. If the FLT turns or clips on outward opening gate, then the gate stays shut against the post
3. An outward opening gate may be necessary in some factories where the pedestrian have to push trolleys through the gateway

There are pro's and con's for both types of gate, It may be necessary for you to analyse the best type of gate to suit your operators, of course if you're seeking to meet the requirements of PAS13 then an inward opening gate is the way to go.

If the above options are causing a dilemma for you, then there may be a third options which will suit you best, If you need:

1. A gate which stops the pedestrian to make them think

2. A gate which the pedestrian can physically see when it is safe to cross

3. A gate which the FLT driver can see that it is shut

4. A gate which gives a degree of impact protection of the FLT strikes it 

Then maybe you should consider a smart safe gate, these gates act like a traditional inward opening gate, incorporating a locking mechanism, an FLT detection sensor a red and green beacon, A smart safe gate is activated by the presence of an FLT, When the FLT comes into the area - the gate locks and the beacon switches to red, once the danger has passed - the beacon switches back to green and the gate can be opened.

This gate can be used in conjunction with an interactive crossing to make the ultimate smart safe factory, contact us here to get bespoke pricing for your factory.