Safety gates (view report contents)
How to stay safe
Safety standards
Look for a gate with a BS EN 1930-2000 label. This is a European standard for childcare safety barriers that includes safety requirements. Gates do not have to comply with the standard and some that claim to comply are more likely to be safer than those that don’t.
All the gates in this Guide were labelled as complying with EN 1930. If you come across a gate labelled BS 4125:1991, this standard is now out of date and has been withdrawn.
Safety tests
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) raised concerns in 2002 about the safety of some gates. They tested 11 gates which claimed to meet the European standard against its requirements. Only one brand passed all the tests. The others had an average of four faults each. The gates have not been named, but there is more information of RoSPA’s concerns on their web-site.
For this guide a laboratory carried out a safety check on the 12 gates tested, using parts of EN 1930 and other tests. They checked for:
- risks of strangulation through entanglement with clothes and passing between the rails
- the gate being difficult to open for a child under 24 months
- the gate staying securely in position – not easily dislodged
- no footholds and a height to prevent climbing
- sharp edges
- holes and openings that could trap a child’s finger
- The laboratory failed three of the gates for finger traps:
- Lindam Easy Fit Premium – hollows in the handwheels
- Lindam Two Way Safety Gate – hollows in the handwheels
They were also concerned about assembly holes on the Baby Dan MultiDan Beechwood Gate, though it complied with the standard.
All these manufacturers plan to make changes either in the tested gates or in future models. We are passing our findings to the standardisation bodies.
Accidents that happen
The stairs are one of the most dangerous parts of a house for young children. Figures collected in hospital A&E departments show that thousands are injured every year falling down stairs – 35,000 under 4s in the UK in 1999 (the last year for which figures have been analysed). Having a safety gate at the top and bottom of the stairs, and keeping them closed whenever babies and toddlers are around will reduce risks.
You also need to take care around safety gates in the home. Many parents stub toes on gates and many hurt themselves more severely when climbing over instead of opening them. Babies are most often hurt when a gate has not been shut properly or left open by mistake, sometimes by an older brother or sister. Other accidents happen when babies follow closely behind parents, and go through the gate unseen.
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Protective stair gate |
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Report Contents
Report Contents
About this guide
Types and what to look for
How to stay safe
Buying guide
Centre opening
Side opening
