ASTM F2200 Requirements

ASTM F2200 is a standard in automatic gate safety that became effective in 2001. It stands for the American Society for Testing and Materials. Currently, around 12,000 ASTM standards are used around the world to enhance safety within many different industries. ASTM F2200 is very similar to another product safety group called Underwriters Laboratory. Underwriters Laboratory founded the UL 325 Safety Standards. ASTM F2200 works in harmony with UL 325, so there is no need to worry about one contradicting the other.

General ASTM F2200 Requirements:

• Barbed tape by its very design is intended to be a hazardous material upon contact with persons, but it may become unnecessarily hazardous to persons in the vicinity of a moving gate. If barbed tape is installed on a gate at eight feet or higher above grade, unintended injury is much less likely to occur.
• All gate designs shall have smooth bottom surfaces and be free of any protrusions that can cut, scrape, puncture and, in general, injure a person when the gate is moving. Any exclusions or exceptions to this requirement are covered under Section 4.8.
• Barbed wire by its very design is intended to be a hazardous material upon contact with persons, but it may become unnecessarily hazardous to persons in the vicinity of a moving gate. If barbed wire is installed on a gate at six feet or higher above grade, unintended injury is much less likely to occur.
• All vehicular gate designs shall be constructed and installed with designs such that the gate cannot fall over more than 45 degrees from the vertical plane if detached from the gates supporting hardware, to prevent injury during service or in case of support failure. These designs can be accomplished by installing support posts, brackets, cables, chains or other devices that would hold or support the gate should it become detached from its supporting hardware. This can be accomplished by installing support posts, brackets, cables, chains or other devices that would hold or support the gate should it become detached from its supporting hardware.
• Gates have been divided into five basic designs of construction: horizontal slide, horizontal swing, vertical lift, vertical pivot and overhead pivot. These designs are considered to be the most common types being installed in the U.S. Each specific design shall be constructed and installed to conform to requirements that are unique to each particular gate type.
• A manual gate latch is not designed for an automated gate. When required, a safe design receiver guide should be installed in lieu of a gate latch.
• The bottom edge of any automated gate shall be free of any protrusions other than hardware such as fasteners, bolts, etc. Such hardware must not project greater than ½” and must be smooth on all surfaces, with no sharp edges, to prevent injuries such as cutting, scraping, or other similar.

Vehicular Horizontal Slide Gates

• Classes I, II and III could be combined because of the common aspect of prioritizing safety over security based on their respective applications.
• The eight foot parameter was chosen because any roller above this level could not present a hazard to a person using the gate, but rollers below this level need to be guarded so that persons could not come into direct contact with exposed rollers or bearings. The words “weight bearing” are used so as to provide some separation between rollers that can cause a “crushing” action against those rollers that can cause only a “pinch” action.
• A potential hazard can be created when a slide gate is opened or closed beyond its supporting hardware. If this were to occur, the gate could fall and possibly cause injury to persons in the area of the gate. Positive stops limit the lateral movement of the gate and prevent the gate from traveling beyond its design limit. The stops are to be installed at either the top or bottom of the gate because these areas would allow the stops to perform their intended function while minimizing any risk of pinching or crushing.
• Wind on a slide gate in operation can cause the gate to bend laterally beyond plumb during its travel from open to close. The lateral distance beyond plumb is a function of the gate surface area, gate length, gate construction, wind speed and wind direction, all of which are unpredictable and cannot be written into a standard.
• A receiver guide mounted behind the leading edge of the receiver post in single gate applications eliminates the receiver guide protruding into the opening and thus eliminates the guide as a possible puncture hazard. A receiver guide mounted greater than 8 feet above grade is not considered a puncture hazard to people in the vicinity of the gate.
• A receiver guide with greater than a 9 square inch cross-sectional area is not considered a puncture hazard to people in the vicinity of the gate.

Vehicular Horizontal Swing Gates

• Classes I, II and III could be combined because of the common aspect of prioritizing safety over security based on their respective applications.
• A crushing or entrapment condition can be created with a fixed object and a gate moving in the direction of the fixed object. Exceptions are incorporated because ANSI/CAN/UL 325 allows for the installation of approved electronic devices to detect entrapment, or the potential thereof, as an alternative to the physical requirements.
• This provision allows for the required hardware, such as hinges, to be installed but restricts the physical area to prevent crushing or entrapment of an individual.
• The established minimum distance requirement is to prevent entrapment between a fixed object such as a wall, fence, house, etc., and a gate in the open position.
• No restrictions on this class of gate because of the security related applications under Class IV.

Vehicular Vertical Lift Gates

• The safety / protective issues addressed in Sections 8.1.1 through 8.1.4 apply to Classes I, II and III vehicular vertical lift gates as these Classes of gates are most likely to be encountered by the general public.
• Guarding / screening of the portion of the gate and/or fence that is covered by movement of the gate during travel is desired to reduce the opportunity for injuries caused by an individual “reaching through” those areas.
• Limiting the opening between a fixed, stationary object and any framing component of a moving gate is desired to reduce the likelihood that an individual can become entrapped between these surface areas.
• Although a gate operating vertically may not pull a person into a gap between a moving gate panel and a supporting structure in a manner similar to that described in horizontal slide gate related incidents, such a gate should be designed to prevent an individual from having their head or body enter such a gap. Therefore, the quantified limitation is consistent with the quantified limitation used in conjunction with current standard spacing for railings contained in building codes.
• A vertical lift gate shall have a means of preventing “over-travel” when moving toward the fully open position, thus avoiding the gate falling out of the guides.
• Since Class IV gates are usually designed for prisons, jails and military installations, there may be specific security conditions at these sites that are prioritized over safety / protective issues.

Vehicular Vertical Pivot Gates

• The safety / protective issues addressed in Sections 9.1.1 through 9.1.4 apply to Classes I, II and III vehicular vertical pivot gates as these Classes of gates are most likely to be encountered by the general public.
• Guarding / screening of the portion of the gate and/or fence that is covered by movement of the gate during travel is desired to reduce the opportunity for injuries caused by an individual “reaching through” those areas. Since the 2011 revision of ASTM F2200, the language was revised to clarify the safety protective screening requirement for vertical pivot gates and to clarify the gate height screening orientation for consistency with the change to Section 6.1.2. Vertical pivot gates are unique in that screening will not be required the full length of the gate.
• Limiting the opening between a fixed, stationary object and any framing component of a moving gate is desired to reduce the likelihood that an individual can become entrapped between these surface areas.
• A vertical pivot gate shall have smooth surfaces on the bottom, top and side framing members and shall be free of any protrusions that can cut, scrape, puncture and, in general, injure a person when the gate is moving. Any exclusions or exceptions to this requirement are covered under Section 4.8.
• A vertical pivot gate shall have sufficient lateral stability so as to be able to enter a receiver guide in the closed position to prevent someone from pushing the gate horizontally to enter.
• Since Class IV gates are usually designed for prisons, jails and military installations, there may be specific security conditions at these sites that are prioritized over safety / protective issues.

Vehicular Overhead Pivot Gates

• The safety / protective issues addressed in Sections 10.1.1 through 10.1.6 apply to Classes I, II and III vehicular overhead pivot gates as these Classes of gates are most likely to be encountered by the general public.
• The eight foot parameter was chosen because any roller above this level could not present a hazard to a person using the gate, but rollers below this level need to be guarded so that persons could not come into direct contact with exposed rollers or bearings. The words “weight bearing” are used so as to provide some separation between rollers that can cause a “crushing” action against those rollers that can cause only a “pinch” action.
• Guarding / screening of the portion of the gate and/or fence that is covered by movement of the gate during travel is desired to reduce the opportunity for injuries caused by an individual “reaching through” those areas.
• Limiting the opening between a fixed, stationary object and any framing component of a moving gate is desired to reduce the likelihood that an individual can become entrapped between these surface areas.
• An overhead pivot gate shall have smooth surfaces on the bottom, top and side framing members and shall be free of any protrusions that can cut, scrape, puncture and, in general, injure a person when the gate is moving. Any exclusions or exceptions to this requirement are covered under Section 4.8.
• A potential hazard can be created when an overhead pivot gate is opened beyond its supporting hardware. If this were to occur, the gate could fall and possibly cause injury to persons in the area of the gate. A positive stop can limit the lateral movement of the gate and prevent the gate from traveling beyond its design limit. The stop is to be installed at the top of the gate because this would allow the stop to perform its intended function while minimizing any risk of pinching or crushing.

These key points are just for quick reference only. Please refer to the ASTM website for official documentation. DASMA also has good technical data sheets to reference. Be sure to always read and understand the safety standards for your gate to mitigate the risk of injury.