Spike Caution Sign - 150x80mm

Ensure that your security structure (fence or roof spikes) are fully compliant with legislation or council bylaws with this caution sign.

It is an unobtrusive size but enough to warn any potential passersby or trespassers.

The sign can be glued or tek screwed to any surface.

Is your security structure a "man trap"?

A story was recently presented to the ASPL team regarding “man traps” followed by a query as to whether our Spike Razor Tops and Spike Security Panels are “man traps”? This query spurred a kind of research frenzy...we thought we knew everything about our product and the legislation surrounding it. Could it be that we were not fully informed?

The Spike Razor Tops have been manufactured with the idea that it was a visual deterrent to any potential wrong-doers. Once the sharp looking spikes were seen on top of the fence or building edge, the person would not wish to scale that fence or building. If the offender knowingly continued to attempt to trespass, the spikes would only then act as a physical obstacle.

We, here at ASPL exerted considerable effort in investigating and analysing the ambiguous content surrounding “hazardous fencing”, which includes our Spike Razor Top product and our Bulldog Spike Security Top fence panels.

Our search commenced with contacting the Ministry of Education. Through this call it was discovered that “No”, this form of fencing was not ‘illegal’ but ‘advised against’. It would apparently be very difficult to get a school board to consent to the erection of a ‘hazardous fence’ around a school; a curious assumption considering the number of schools who have purchased Spike Security Fencing.  The relevant literature school boards must consult includes the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 and the Ministry’s Health and Safety Code of Practice for Schools. The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 calls for any potential hazard to be eliminated, isolated or minimised in schools or around any such place of employment. Examples to put these 3 necessitates into perspective would include ‘elimination’ (cutting off the spikes), ‘isolation’ (the Spike Razor Tops or Spike Security panels being in an area where there are no pedestrians or likelihood that people will go near them) or ‘minimisation’ (signposting or having the fence high enough that passersby will not accidentally or easily be harmed by them). The ‘State Schools Property Management Handbook’ by the Ministry of Education explains that fencing should create a welcoming innuendo while concurrently providing a barrier to discourage unwanted guests...especially in the closed periods. This provides a difficult task for school boards, as the messages to be portrayed somewhat contradict each other. The literature follows on to say that the Ministry would expect the school board to either sand the arrow tops down, bend them over or cut them off...the risks must be eliminated, isolated or minimised under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 and the Ministry’s Health and Safety Code of Practice for Schools. Undertaking further research, it seems that the above recommendations are not the only solution. For example, making the fencing high enough that the risk is not presented to the passersby is one option, also ensuring that the spikes are obvious and can be seen is another.

Nevertheless, to assist ASPL customers in bypassing any potential issues, we are in the process of developing a warning sign that can be fixed to the structure with the spikes to provide a warning to any passerby that the top of the structure is sharp and will cause harm if scaled. These are available for purchase from ASPL. The warning signs concur with legislation which calls for hazards to be minimised.

Next on the agenda was to determine whether our Bulldog Spike Security Panels and the Spike Razor Tops are “man traps”. New Zealand Police define ‘man traps’ as Security devices set in place to deliberately cause harm to another unassuming human (the hazardous object is hidden). The different sources used to establish the conclusion that our Spike Razor Tops and Spike Security Panels are NOT “man traps” was the Auckland City Council, The Department of Labour and the police. The responses are as follows:

Auckland City Council:

There are no regulations or restrictions regarding spike top or razor top fencing in the Auckland City region. The only real regulation the Auckland City Council enforces is that if a fence is over 2 metres high, resource consent must be sought. The Auckland City Council recommended that Health and Safety legislation be consulted.

Government Legislation / Department of Labour / Health and Safety:

There is no government legislation (that I could uncover) that determines the kind of security fencing that is erected around a private property or place of business (unless pools are being fenced). Interestingly, none of the persons contacted were aware of a ‘man trap’ law.

New Zealand Police

In the course of contacting the New Zealand Police, we were informed that a man trap (under their definition) is:

Security devices set in place to deliberately cause harm to another unassuming human. If it cannot be seen by the potential offender it is a ‘man trap’; if it can be seen or is clearly signposted, the security devise is not a man trap and is simply used to send a certain message to potential offenders.

Subsequent to a decent discussion with the policeman, it was concluded that ASPL’s Spike Razor Tops and also the Spike Security Top fence panels are not “man traps” as they can be seen, making it obvious that they can cause harm if climbed upon. It was determined that the products being erected send out a specific message to potential offenders as opposed to being erected with the intention to harm another person.

So, is ASPL’s Bulldog Spike Razor Top product or Spike Security Panel a “man trap”?

Answer: NO.

Compliance Checklist

-The structure you are putting SRT on is 1.8m or taller

-The spikes on the Spike Razor Top or the Spike Security Panel are not hidden or disguised in any way

-The Spike Razor Tops or the Spike Security Panels are not in a place which would present a risk to any passerby

-The structure is clearly sign posted with a warning/caution regarding the spikes

-I have double checked any regional council bylaws relating to security structures

-I have double checked that there is no legislation surrounding the security structure I want to erect in my place of work or in a public arena.