Stair Gates - A summary
Between May 2002 and the end of the year RoSPA had 21 stair gates tested by a UKAS approved laboratory to assess their claimed compliance with EN 1930:2000. 15 (71.4%) of the gates failed to comply fully with the standard. Only one brand, six models, passed all the requirements of the standard.
The results demonstrate widespread failure of stair gates available on the market to meet the requirements of the EN 1930 standard.
The principal failures were as follows:
| Clause | Scope | Failures |
|---|---|---|
| 6.16 | snagging and protruding parts | 13 |
| 9 | instructions for use | 12 |
| 6.10 | distance between adjacent members | 10 |
| 8 | marking | 10 |
Most failures were against Clause 6.16 covering snagging and protruding parts, a particularly important safety issue with potentially serious consequences.
The failures recorded are not thought to be caused by variable manufacturing faults but are likely to be common to all products of that type i.e. design faults.
All samples were obtained from the retail market and submitted to the test laboratory in the condition in which a consumer would purchase them. This must be the acceptable manner in which samples are procured and tested and gates should be able to withstand reasonable conditions of transport and storage.
A question arises as to the manner in which samples are submitted for testing if pass certificates are supplied for the same products by UKAS test laboratories to the manufacturers of those gates.
There may be some variation in the interpretation of the standard in which case clarification of its wording must be addressed at the earliest opportunity.
The specified test methods may also be open to different applications which could provide varying results. Again this will need to be addressed.
There must be no diminution of safety levels caused by any re-wording of the standard.
Inter-laboratory trials should be considered to ensure consistency of results in future.
Conclusion:
EN 1930 is not suitable in its present form to be accepted for GPSD1 purposes.
David Jenkins
Product Safety Adviser
RoSPA
Email: help@rospa.com
1 General Product Safety Directive
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