74 Automated Gates & Barriers Also online at www.dijonline.co.uk Door Industry Journal Spring 2026 Can I rely on risk assessments for doors, gates, and barriers? The Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) technical team are often asked whether carrying out a risk assessment is enough to demonstrate compliance for powered doors, gates, and barrier systems. With several sets of UK regulations referencing risk assessment, it can be unclear where legal responsibilities begin and end. In this article, DHF’s technical experts explain how the regulations apply and why recognised safety standards remain central to ensuring compliance and protecting users. WHEN LOOKING at the safety of doors, gates, and barrier systems, three sets of UK regulations are often referred to, The Supply of Machinery Safety Regulations 2008, The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. All three place importance on risk assessment as a method of identifying hazards and protecting people. Because of this, it is sometimes assumed that completing a general risk assessment is enough to demonstrate legal compliance for entrance systems. In practice however, the position is more specific and depends on which regulations apply and how they interact with recognised safety standards. This article explains how each set of regulations applies to doors, gates, and barriers, and whether risk assessment alone can be relied upon. Supply of Machinery Safety Regulations 2008 The Supply of Machinery Safety Regulations applies to powered doors, gates, and barriers that are placed on the market or put into service. These regulations implement the requirements of the Machinery Directive into UK law and require manufacturers and installers to ensure that machinery is safe. Risk assessment forms part of these regulations. Manufacturers are required to identify hazards and reduce risks so far as possible. However, powered entrance systems are also covered by harmonised European standards and UK designated standards, which describe specific safety measures and performance requirements. These standards represent what is commonly referred to as the ‘state-of-the-art’, and define the minimum level of safety expected for compliance. Where a harmonised standard exists, any risk assessment used as an alternative approach must achieve a level of safety that is equal to or better than that provided by the standard. In theory, this allows for alternative solutions. In practice, the standards already provide detailed, well-established methods for addressing known risks such as crushing, impact, and trapping. Because of this, it is difficult to see how a different risk assessment approach could realistically offer the same level of protection without following the standards themselves. For this reason, compliance with the appropriate standard remains the normal and most reliable route to meeting the requirements of these regulations. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) apply to a wide range of equipment used at work. This often leads to the assumption that they apply to all powered doors, gates, and barriers in workplaces. However, for entrance doors, gates, and barriers that are part of the building structure, the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations take precedence. PUWER specifically address the safety of workplace doors and traffic routes. As a result, normal entrance systems in and around workplaces do not fall under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. Their safety is instead assessed by reference to relevant standards, which define what is reasonably practicable. Enforcement authorities and courts have previously accepted that where a recognised standard exists, it is reasonable to expect
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