/ By admin / height restrictor barriers/ 0 Comments

Height Restrictors-what businesses need to know

height restrictor

Are you looking to put an end to fly-tipping? Prevent vehicles or visitors from overstaying their welcome? Free up parking spaces for genuine customers? A height restrictive barrier may be just what you’re looking for. Let’s take a look at what they are when you might want to use one, and the different options available today.

What is a height restrictive barrier?

Height restriction can be seen in action in a variety of environments. You will no doubt have driven into a car park with an overhead barrier warning vehicles of certain sizes that they will be unable to enter. Equally, you may have visited a supermarket or service station car park recently where the same restrictions apply.

Height restrictive barriers are designed to block access to heavy and large vehicles either blocking them from access entirely or encouraging them to use alternative areas designed for their vehicle type.

Why use a height restrictive barrier?

There are many reasons why a business may opt to install a height restrictive barrier. One of the most popular reasons is to reduce overnight or illegal stays. Many public and private sector clients have experienced issues with vehicles visiting sites for longer than is welcome, taking advantage of facilities and leaving them in a state of disrepair.

Installing restrictive barriers can prevent that initial access and reduce the need for costly cleaning or other repairs. Equally car park operators can prevent damage to facilities that are not built to accommodate heavy goods vehicles, caravans, or camper vans.

Static or Automatic?

Height restriction barriers may come in the form of static barriers which are locked with padlocks, or automatic barriers which are electronically operated. The choice between the two depends on your circumstances.

If your barrier is going to be installed away from the interior of your site, or on rural land, then your access to electricity may be limited. In this case, it may be best to opt for a traditional manual static restrictor. Static barriers can also be fitted with a low-level barrier that can be fixed into place at your leisure to prevent any vehicular access at all.

However, if mains access is not a problem then you can take advantage of an automatic barrier. With a 10.0M maximum span, these barriers are driven by a 3 phase motor and can be left open or closed depending on your requirements. So if you only want to limit access at specific times of the day or days of the week, then this could be a good solution for you.

Both types of barriers can be fitted with a prominent maximum headroom sign and an optional striped bumper bar made from aluminium can also be fitted for added protection.

Gateway Automation provides 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, please call us on 01522 682255.

/ By admin / anti-terrorism bollards/ / 0 Comments

The Importance of anti-terrorism perimeter security

anti-terrorism security

Threats of domestic and international terrorism and actual acts of terrorism have been a constant danger in the UK. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service (MI5) grade the National Threat Level at five levels (low, moderate, substantial, severe, and critical). Currently, in the UK this level is deemed to be ‘severe’, which means that according to their understanding, an attack is highly likely.

While members of the public are at risk as much as organisations (as shown by the 7/7 London Bombing attacks for instance) businesses must be also vigilant in the face of terrorism – particularly those that operate in sensitive fields.

Sensitive operations

Some businesses and organisations by their very nature can become targets for political or religious agendas. This may come in the form of general online sentiment, physical protest, sabotage or even terrorist attacks.

Infrastructure targets

Elsewhere businesses and organisations can fall into the crosshairs of terrorists due to their standing within UK infrastructure. For example, terrorists looking to cause the most harm possible may seek to exploit water or energy plants to cause widespread disruption and harm.

How to prepare

To mitigate the risks of an attack, it is, of course, important to create dialogues with local and national policing groups who can advise on the likelihood of attacks and, where they are able, brief you on threats. However, with the frequency and unpredictability involved, it makes sense for those targets that are of particularly high risk to take pre-emptive measures to adequately protect themselves.

The first step is to undertake a full risk assessment with a specialised provider. An experienced professional should take into account the nature of your operations, the size of your site, and the possible threats and create a list of bespoke recommendations for you to consider.

There are many tools for the job, and their recommendations may come in the form of both specialised and more general advice and equipment solutions.

To guard against the risk of intrusion, sabotage and protest, you might be advised to utilise turnstiles and barriers. These simple but effective tools can provide the first line of defence and afford maximum control over who gets in and out of your property. Bollards are another key way to afford protection and can be either fixed or retractable, allowing additional defence in case of a power outage.

Equally, specialised tools like our bi-folding anti-terrorism gates offer unique properties that are created with neutralising threats in mind. The bi-folding gate is powered by an electric motor with a hydraulic locking pin and features eagle fibre technology and quality bearings and rollers. While the sliding cantilever is the widest gate currently tested at 40mph and 50mph with a 7.5T (N2 and N3) vehicle.

Elsewhere there may opportunities to manage vehicular traffic through crash tested road blockers. These are a commonly used tool for government, financial and private organisations looking to prevent a vehicular terrorist attack which has been a rising occurrence in recent years.

Tough external perimeter security can act as a key deterrent to terrorists seeking to gain entry to a site. However, interior protections should not be overlooked as damage can be caused internally also, whether through physical acts of harm, sabotage or theft. However, pedestrian access can be boxed off through tools such as keypads, biometrics, fobs, and other access control equipment.

It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to deciding which security strategies are going to be most effective at a site, which is why it is important to begin with a risk assessment. Here at Gateway Automation, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess your perimeter security requirements. To find out more please contact Gateway Automation on 01522 682255.

/ By admin / Uncategorized/ / 0 Comments

Top Perimeter Security considerations for the construction industry

Construction perimeter security

Crime is rife among construction sites. It might shock you to know that hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of equipment is being stolen from building sites in the UK every single week. While some of that equipment may eventually be recovered, it can represent huge delays in projects, missed deadlines, increased overheads, and bad press.

To avoid these problems, site operators must integrate tough perimeter security solutions into their plans from the get-go. Here we will look at some tips on how to protect a construction site.

1 – Risk assessments

The first step in creating a comprehensive plan for battling construction theft is a thorough plan, and this should come from a professional risk assessment. Your provider should take into account the nature of the site, establish threats, and come up with concrete solutions to address them. No site is the same, and your measures need to be bespoke and robust.

2 – Create a tough exterior

Criminals will always look for soft targets. You can deter opportunistic crime by creating an exterior that signals to intruders that you take things seriously. A site that is protected with security gates and fencing is far less likely to fall, victim, as criminals will rightly estimate that their chances of a successful venture are slim.

3 – Operate with entry controls

Security should extend to all areas of your operations. In a busy site, it can be easy for intruders to go unnoticed. A simple high-vis jacket and a hard hat may be enough to blend in. This is why it is important that you operate with a booking-in system that keeps a track of who is coming and going on your site. Equally, keys or other forms of access should be restricted and only trusted to veteran members of staff.

4 – Control entry automatically

It might not be practical for you to have dedicated security personnel at your site to monitor who is coming and going and to patrol your site. In these instances, you may choose to opt for physical equipment that can do the job for you in the form of barriers and turnstiles.

5 – Consider access control equipment

Another way to establish your security levels is to take advantage of new technologies and advanced equipment. For instance, you could integrate biometric controls such as fingerprint readers, or pin/fob controls to grant access. You might also install an intercom to both manage access via a mobile device. Learn more about access equipment here.

6 – Use lighting to your advantage

A large percentage of crime will take place in the evening or the early hours of the morning when visibility is low and passers-by are rare. As we mentioned previously, criminals will strike at sites where they feel they are most likely to get away with their crimes, so by installing adequate movement-triggered lighting you can effectively scare them away.

Gateway Automation provides a range of perimeter security systems to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provides nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers, and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 68255 or take a look at our brochure which can be viewed here.