An electrical company which failed to check the operation of safety sensors on a roller shutter door resulting in the death of a 40-year old woman in 2016 has been fined £25,000 and ordered to pay court costs of £6,500.

The victim grabbed hold of the rising door as it rose up but due to the incorrect wiring on the sensors, the door failed to stop and the woman was dragged into the shutter door mechanism and died at the scene.

The company which had carried out work on the roller shutter door since 2012 had inspected the installation a month before the accident but failed to identify the fault which resulted in the sensors no longer functioning. The HSE said after the hearing, “This tragic and distressing incident could have been avoided if the company had ensured employees were suitably trained to inspect the doors and the functioning of the safety sensors.”

Richard Jackson, Founder of Gate Safe commented, “Although this is not an automated gate but a roller shutter door, the principles remain the same. All automated gates and doors must be regularly maintained to ensure the ongoing safety of the installation and each routine inspection should include the checking of all safety features to ensure that they are still operating effectively. Equally, those involved in the maintenance of automated gates and doors must be competent professionals who have undergone the requisite training to understand how to deliver a safe and legal automated system. This is yet another court case which signals the terrible ramifications of failing to take automated gate / door safety seriously. This accident should never have happened, and the outcome will have a lasting impact on the victim’s family as well as the company who has been found guilty of breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. We hope that this tragedy serves as a lesson to anyone involved in the automated gate industry NOT to take short cuts when it comes to safety matters.”