Safety Gate Preventing Confined Space Door Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inadvertent closure of doors and access barriers in confined spaces leads to serious injuries and fatalities due to lack of effective safety measures preventing human entrapment in hazardous environments.
Innovation Solution
A movable safety gate system that inhibits entry into confined spaces when closed and prevents doors or access barriers from fully closing, ensuring safe egress and reducing the risk of entrapment by swinging to a safety position that blocks the door from shutting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a door or access barrier is made closable to secure the confined space, then safety and security are improved, but the risk of inadvertent closure and human entrapment increases
Solution Approach 1:
A safety gate is introduced as an intermediary barrier between the access barrier and the confined space. The safety gate can be positioned to block the access barrier from fully closing, preventing entrapment while allowing the access barrier to remain closable for security when the gate is open.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety gate is positioned in advance to prevent the access barrier from closing before a person could be trapped. The gate acts as a preliminary protective measure that blocks the closing motion of the access barrier when someone is inside the confined space.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a safety gate is added to prevent entrapment, then protection against harmful factors is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The access control system is segmented into two independent components: the access barrier for security and the safety gate for protection against entrapment. Each component performs its specific function independently, simplifying the overall system design while providing comprehensive safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety gate is designed to be manually operated by occupants to prevent barrier closure. The system relies on user awareness and action rather than complex automated sensors or control systems, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining effectiveness.
3Reliability
If the access barrier is maintained in a closed position during operation, then confinement and security are improved, but the ability to provide safe egress is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The safety gate serves as a mediator that allows occupants to safely interact with the closed access barrier. When the barrier is closed for security, the gate can be positioned to prevent it from fully closing, creating a gap that allows occupants to exit while the barrier remains in its secure closed position.
Data Source
AI summary
The safety systems enhance the safety of confined spaces which can present a danger to human occupants who may become entrapped within the confined space during a dangerous condition. The safety systems are particularly useful with confined spaces having access openings and a door or other movable barrier for the access opening. The safety systems having movable safety gates proximate the access openings. The disclosed safety gates are movable from a closed position where the safety gate forms a physical barrier which inhibits human entry into the confined space to a safety position where the safety gate prevents the door from closing and entrapping a person within the confined space.