Industrial Self-Closing Safety Gates

Self-Closing Safety Gates: The Opening Is Never Left Open

An industrial self-closing safety gate is spring loaded, so it closes automatically behind the user and the opening is never left open. Our gates close off the gaps in guardrail and handrail where people pass through: ladder tops, work platforms, mezzanine access points, walkways and the breaks in demarcation routes around machinery. Single gates suit openings up to 1m wide and double gates openings up to 1.8m, in hot dip galvanised steel or powder coated safety yellow.

They retro-fit to existing handrail and structures with no welding, and the width can be cut to size on site. Every gate is quoted within one hour in working hours, with next-day delivery on stock orders.

The Range: Single and Double Gates

Dimensions and weights are from the product listings. Width and height can be cut to size on site.

Need a gate at the top of a fixed ladder, or a gate that lets pallets onto a mezzanine without opening the edge? See full height gates and mezzanine pallet gates.

Why a Gate Has to Close Itself

A chain, a drop bar or a sliding rail only protects an opening if the last person through put it back. On a busy site, sooner or later someone doesn't. A spring-loaded gate takes that decision away: push it open, walk through, and it returns to closed on its own. It overcomes the problem of human error, where people forget to replace other forms of protection such as bars or chains.

That is why self-closing gates are the preferred way to protect access openings, and why they are the gate of choice at the top of fixed ladders.

How to Choose a Self-Closing Gate

Galvanised or safety yellow

Hot dip galvanised suits outdoor use, rooftops and wet areas. Powder coated safety yellow is for places where the gate needs to stand out, such as next to internal traffic routes or around hazardous zones.

Standards and Testing

The gates comply with the test requirements of EN 13374 Class A and EN 14122-3. They have also passed performance tests: salt spray testing of the coating, and life cycle testing in which the range withstood 50,000 open and close cycles through 90 degrees. Test reports are available on request.

The standards a site needs depend on where the gate goes and how it is fitted. If your specification calls up a particular standard, send it with your enquiry and we will confirm what the gate meets.

Fits the Handrail You Already Have

The gates are suitable for internal and external use and can be retro-fitted to existing structures where opening protection is needed. They mount onto standard galvanised tube handrail built with key clamp fittings, fit round or square posts, and can be fixed to flat surfaces.

• No welding. The gate bolts onto the post with U-bolts, washers and nuts.
• Cut to size on site. Width is fully adjustable within each gate's range, so an opening measured a few centimetres out is not a problem.
• Left or right handed. Reversible hinges let the gate be hung on either side of the opening.
• Adjustable closing. Hinge tension adjusts so the gate closes completely every time.
• Quick to assemble. Each gate comes with its hinges, bolts and fixings.

If your rail is a different tube size, tell us and we will supply the right fittings with the gate. If the opening needs new posts or rail, we supply galvanised tube cut to length free.

Where Self-Closing Gates Are Used

• Fixed ladder tops and roof hatches. The gate closes the landing opening behind the climber.
• Work platforms and walkways. Anywhere a guardrail has to break for access, including industrial access walkways.
• Mezzanine floors. Personnel access points, used alongside pallet gates at loading positions. See safe mezzanine access: barriers, gates and platforms.
• Machinery guarding and demarcation. Safe access into demarcated areas within factories, warehouses and loading bays. See warehouse protection.
• Rooftops. Gates fit into roof edge protection, step-over platforms and roof access handrails.

Project: West Midlands Hire

West Midlands Hire in Smethwick needed to restrict access to a new MOT service area. Single and double self-closing gates, with powder-coated key clamp fittings and tube, block public access to the office, admin and MOT areas, and the double gate created a safe reception area where customers wait. Read the West Midlands Hire project.

How to Order a Self-Closing Gate

1. Measure the clear width of the opening.
2. Choose single (up to 1m) or double (up to 1.8m).
3. Choose hot dip galvanised or safety yellow powder coat.
4. Tell us what the gate fixes to: key clamp handrail, other tube, a round or square post, or a flat surface such as a wall.
5. Request a quote or call 01905 779944 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm). We reply within one hour in working hours.

Why Buy Safety Gates from Fisher Alvin

• Next-day delivery on stock orders. Single and double gates in both finishes.
• Quote within one hour. Opening width, finish and quantity is all we need.
• Everything for the opening in one order. Gate, key clamp fittings and galvanised tube cut to length, free.
• Free design service. Send a photo or plan of the opening and we confirm the gate and fittings.
• Founded in Birmingham in 1912, now based in Cradley Heath, West Midlands.

Self-Closing Gate Questions

How does a self-closing safety gate work?

A spring returns the gate to the closed position after it has been pushed open. It closes automatically behind the user, so there is nothing to remember to close or refit.

What sizes do the gates come in?

Single gates suit openings up to 1m wide. Double gates, made as a pair of 0.9m gates, suit openings up to 1.8m. Both can be cut to size on site.

Which standards do the gates meet?

The gates comply with the test requirements of EN 13374 Class A and EN 14122-3. Test reports are available on request.

Do they fit existing handrail?

Yes. They retro-fit to existing handrail and structures, on round or square posts, without welding. Tell us your tube size when you order.

Can the gate open left or right?

Yes. The hinges are reversible, so the gate can be hung on either side of the opening.

Does a double gate need a lock or latch?

No. The double gate is designed so that it does not require any locking mechanism.

Galvanised or powder coated?

Hot dip galvanised for outdoor use and wet areas. Safety yellow powder coat where the gate needs to stand out, such as next to internal traffic routes.

How durable are the gates?

The range has withstood 50,000 open and close cycles through 90 degrees in life cycle testing, and the coating has been salt spray tested.

Self-Closing Gate Guides and Related Ranges

Read first: why self-closing safety gates matter in industrial environments, when a standard gate won't do: full height gates, mezzanine loading gates and the work at West Midlands Hire.

Related ranges: full height gates, mezzanine pallet gates, key clamp handrail kits, key clamps and galvanised tube, demarcation systems and warehouse protection.