UL compliant access systems

A problem you can help solve
It is essential that access systems employing automated motorized gates or doors are engineered for safety, in addition to performance. Most people simply do not recognize that an automated gate is essen- tially a large heavy object being moved with significant force. To a child, a moving gate may seem like a fun ride at a theme park that they can climb onto as it travels

Statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission identifies the risk posed by automated gates. Between 1985 and 2000, the CPSC was made aware of 32 deaths related to automated gates, and 20 of these fatalities were children. In addition, between 1990 and 2000 CPSC estimates nearly 25,000 people were injured in automated gate incidents.

Ensuring that gate operators and other access systems are engineered for safety is a responsibility that starts during the architectural design phase of a new construction or remodeling project. Your expertise and commitment to “specifying safety” enhances your company’s reputation and helps reduce your risk of liability in gate operator accidents, if you can show that you specified products with safety features in compliance with the latest standards.

LiftMaster has always been on the leading edge of moving the industry toward higher safety standards. Key factors in our role as the industry’s safety leader are our long-standing relationships and collaboration with organizations like Underwriters Laboratories, and our commitment to keeping architects, installers and other professionals informed on changing compliance factors

UL 325 sets standards for solutions
Over the years, Underwriters Laboratories has tested products for safety as well as defined and published standards to protect people. Starting in 1973, UL 325 was created to protect the hazards surrounding door, drapery, gate, louver and window operators. The standard has evolved since that time to also include features and devices focusing on entrapment zones, areas where people can possibly be trapped and injured by a gate moving to either an open or closed direction.

Changes effective August 1, 2018
Since the year 2000, UL 325 has required every entrapment zone be protected with two independent means of entrapment protection. As of August 1, 2018, UL 325 was updated to further drive gate system safety. For slide and swing gate systems, UL 325 now requires that a gate operator will function only after installation of a minimum of two independent entrapment protection devices in each direction of travel; two in the opening direction and two in the closing direction. UL 325 allows inherent protection in both the opening and closing directions as one device for entrapment protection. Operators must monitor for the proper operation of the external devices.

An exception is allowed for Swing gate operators; if an entrapment zone does not exist in one direction of gate travel, then an additional external device is not required in that direction of travel.

Every gate operator installation is unique, and architects and installers share responsibility to be informed and knowledgeable on requirements for UL 325 compliance. This includes being able to identify entrap- ment zones and making sure these zones are protected with the appropriate entrapment-zone protection devices.

LiftMaster – your UL 325 solution resource
Because every application is different, there are no one-size-fits-all solution. There is no reason to let this worry you, because LiftMaster is here to help.

LiftMaster makes specifying safe and compliant systems easy, by offering a wide range of integrated access solutions for any projects that you are designing. Product solutions include gate and commercial door operators, traffic control systems, all of the necessary safety accessories and cloud based access control devices.

Have more questions about how UL 325 impacts your projects? Reach out to our Architect Specialist at Specs@LiftMaster.com.