Ladder Safety Gates And The Importance Of Certifications

Author: Dean Thorsen | PS Safety Access™

Can any one gate meet multiple certification requirements around the world? 

It’s challenging to choose the best safety gate to protect your crew when working on ladderways and near elevated guardrail openings. No two situations are the same, and all products are not created equal. Plus, it’s not enough to choose a gate that properly fits the opening; it also needs to meet the necessary safety requirements. 

OSHA, ANSI, CE Mark, OHS, CSA – you’ve likely seen these acronyms, but depending on where you live, you may not know what they mean. Here’s a quick lesson on some of the most important organizations that develop certification standards for ladder safety gates in North America and Europe. 

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is an agency within the U.S. government with a clear mission: “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards.” 

ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is a non-profit organization that oversees voluntary standards in the U.S. ANSI standards ensure that the product characteristics and performance are consistent, that people use the same definitions and terms, and that tests are performed in the same way. ANSI standards are often more stringent then OSHA. 

CE MARK (Conformitè Europëenne Mark) is the EU’s (European Union’s) mandatory conformity mark used to indicate that a product meets the necessary safety, health and environmental protection requirements needed to be distributed throughout the EEA (European Economic Area). 

CANADA OHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety) is the Canadian equivalent of OSHA. 

CANADA CSA (Canada Standards Association) is a private organization that provides certifications for products entering Canada that have met CSA’s safety, testing and evaluation requirements. 

These organizations all share a common goal: to keep workers safe. While safety gate manufacturers strive to be compliant with one or two of these standards, the PS Safety Access team has manufactured a ladder safety gate that meets all of them. 

EDGEHALT® ADJUSTABLE SAFETY GATE – This self-closing safety gate is designed with compliance, safety and ease-of-use in mind. It’s a single gate designed to fit openings 18 inches to 36 inches. Not only does it meet the guardrail requirements of both OSHA 1910.28 and 1910.29, and ANSI A1264.1-2007 and A14.3-2008, it’s also CE marked and meets Canada OHS and CSA standards as well. 

A safe worker is a better worker, and our products prove it. Contact Dean Thorsen at 877-446-1519 or dthorsen@psindustries.com.