Commission an automatic gate as one safety-and-security system

Source facts: safety and access-control evaluations have different scopes

UL Solutions’ Securing Peace of Mind: Access Control and Gate Operators explains that UL 325 is the primary safety standard for automatic gates and door operators. It also states that access-control features associated with a gate are not evaluated for physical or cyber security under UL 325. UL describes UL 294, the Standard for Access Control System Units, as a complementary evaluation for security-related safety, digital security, and performance.

That boundary matters when several compliant products become one installed system. The operator moves the gate, while readers, license-plate recognition, intercoms, access controllers, loops, photoelectric devices, edges, relays, network links, schedules, and emergency procedures influence when and how it moves. Certification evidence should be checked for the exact product and application; it is not a substitute for approved design, manufacturer instructions, applicable requirements, or site acceptance.

This article does not determine code compliance or prescribe gate safety design. The current adopted requirements, authority having jurisdiction, qualified gate professional, design documents, and instructions for every installed component govern the project.

DSE recommendation: test the complete movement decision

Before operation, assemble a controlled gate record: opening identifier, location and use, gate and operator models, certification files, approved class or application, travel limits, access controller and credentials, safety and presence devices, manual controls, emergency provisions, warning devices and signs, power, network, monitoring, and responsible service parties. Reconcile that record to the installed equipment.

Inspect the physical environment. Check the gate path, adjacent fence and gaps, grade, drainage, vegetation, public approach, pedestrian paths, pinch or reach areas, mounting, guards, fasteners, stops, conduit, cabinets, and changes since design. Escalate any safety concern before powered testing.

Prove safety devices independently. Following the manufacturer’s procedure and approved test method, activate each monitored entrapment-protection or presence device through the relevant travel. Confirm the expected gate response, controller indication, trouble supervision, and behavior if a device is disconnected or faulted.

Exercise access decisions. Test valid, invalid, expired, and disabled credentials; approved vehicle detection; intercom release; remote commands; schedules; and any LPR workflow. Confirm that one authorization creates only the intended movement and event record.

Challenge vehicle sequencing. Test an authorized vehicle that stops, reverses, follows another vehicle, or leaves the detection area, plus a second vehicle approaching during movement. Use controlled tests and qualified personnel; do not place anyone in a hazardous path.

Remove dependencies safely. Exercise approved loss of utility power, standby power behavior, controller or reader communications, network service, and remote-management path. Confirm that failure does not create an undocumented authorization or unsafe movement.

Test emergency and manual operation. With authorized stakeholders, verify the approved fire-service, responder, emergency, and manual-release procedures, including how the gate is secured or returned to service afterward.

Capture the event at all relevant layers: device indication, operator behavior, access-control transaction, video or intercom context, monitoring alert, and physical gate movement. Record elapsed time where a delayed network or cloud decision could affect operation. Verify that a remote user can see the correct opening and current state before issuing a command.

Deliver a site-specific operating guide that separates normal access, a safety obstruction, equipment trouble, power loss, emergency access, and service mode. Identify who can disable or restore a gate and how that action is documented. Revalidate at the manufacturer’s required intervals and after impact, mechanical adjustment, safety-device replacement, controller or firmware change, access-integration change, paving, fencing, or recurring nuisance behavior. Do not bypass a safety device to keep traffic moving. The acceptance result should demonstrate that safety sensing, access authority, movement, monitoring, and recovery remain coherent as one system.

Official references

UL Solutions, Securing Peace of Mind: Access Control and Gate Operators, December 2, 2019.

UL Solutions, Access Control System Testing and Certification, accessed August 11, 2026.