Are your automatic doors compliant with relevant health & safety legislation? Particularly if you’ve had your doors in place for a few years now, they could well not be in line with current guidance when it comes to automatic sliding and swing doors. Obviously nobody wants to own or manage premises where non-compliant automatic doors result in an accident, which is why being aware of signs that your doors may need attention is vital. Take a look at five indications that will let you know it may be time to give your doors a much-needed overhaul.
Too slow to open!
Do people walk into your doors, rather than through them? Automatic doors should be open before users reach them, minimising the risk of having to suddenly stop, or even hitting the door. Poorly performing or badly placed sensors may mean this doesn’t happen. If your door is too slow to open, it’s a sign that there’s a need to have sensor location and performance assessed with a view to putting appropriate remedial measures in place.
A lack of barrier rails on your automatic swing doors
Even if the door uses a controlled opening mechanism, a barrier at 90 degrees to the plane of the door is vital to reduce the risk of it potentially hitting someone who can’t necessarily see that there’s a door ahead. If you haven’t got suitable barriers in place, they need to be fitted as a matter of priority.
Do your automatic sliding doors operate in creep mode?
A modern door with the correct sensors will slow to a creep or stop if an obstruction is in the range of the side screen sensor and is detected. In addition, automatic doors should also have sensors in the threshold area which would stop movement should a person or object be sensed between the doors.
Regular servicing
It’s vital that automatic doors are serviced regularly in order to minimise the risk of unwanted breakdowns or dangerous levels of wear. If you haven’t had your doors serviced in the past six months, now is the time to book a suitably qualified and experienced technician to get the job done. It is recommended that automatic doors which experience heavy traffic (for example airport or railway station doors) are serviced every three months; automatic doors which experience light or medium traffic should be serviced about every six months.
Lack of signage
Clean glass doors can appear invisible without suitable signage to alert users to their presence! Automatic doors should display “automatic door” signage as well as suitably located “keep clear” signs. Up-to-date signage is essential if automatic doors are to comply with current health and safety guidance.
Get in touch to find out more about health & safety regulations as they apply to your automatic doors, as well as to book the services of our skilled technicians should you require servicing or the modifications necessary to bring your doors up to standard.