Gate Safe is delighted to announce that its founder, Richard Jackson, has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Birthday Honours List, in recognition for his services to Improvement of the Safety of Automated Gates.
Jackson, who started Gate Safe in 2010, following the tragic deaths of two young girls in separate electric gate accidents, will be invited to an investiture to formally receive his award later this year.
The prestigious accolade comes as the charity celebrates hitting over 4,000 installers on the Gate Safe Register, all of whom have undergone the specialist “plain English” IOSH approved training to enable them to understand the protocols required to install or maintain a safe and legally compliant automated gate or barrier. Jackson’s work as an Expert Witness working closely with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Trading Standards was cited within the award nomination, with his substantial industry knowledge and expertise gleaned over a 40-year period regularly being accessed by both organisations. Philip White, currently Director of Building Safety / Building Safety Regulator commented, “The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) supports the work which Gate Safe began in 2010 to improve the safety of automated and manual gates and barriers in the UK. We commend the charity’s commitment to providing clear, practical and easy to understand information on what constitutes a safe and legally compliant gate.”
As the only registered charity – and the pioneering force within the industry as the first to address the need for action – Gate Safe works tirelessly to put a stop to any further automated gate and barrier accidents. The current key priority for Gate Safe involves a dedicated focus on the safety of school gates, with the Safe School Gates campaign designed to provide tailored guidance and advice to schools which feature automated gates on site.
Following the OBE announcement, Jackson said, “I am incredibly humbled to have been nominated, let alone confirmed as a recipient of this distinguished honour which I view as an accolade for the whole Gate Safe team. Setting up Gate Safe has been one of the most rewarding – but also most challenging – undertakings in my professional career given the complexities associated with extending our messaging to such a wide and varied audience. Gate Safe’s mission has always remained constant, to prevent any further accidents and to deliver the essential guidance needed to ensure a safe gate in a highly practical, and simple to follow format. The team derives huge satisfaction from knowing that the work that we do can literally help save lives …”
