Automatic doors provide convenience for people with mobility limitations, such as wheelchairs or scooters. But these systems must be properly installed and regularly inspected to meet industry standards.
For managers, it’s crucial to know the requirements for their doorways and how to carry out safety inspections daily.
Safety Measures
The new power-operated door system integrates many significant safety measures. These are often hidden and invisible to the untrained eye, but they must be inspected daily to ensure that the sensors function properly and that all components work together.
For example, the EN 16005 standard requires that each GDO have an external entrapment sensor to help protect against situations where the primary 2-second inherent entrapment system fails for whatever reason. This is a requirement for all GDOs and provides additional safety for pedestrians.
The standard also requires building owners, installers, service technicians, and other workers who use these doors to keep a logbook of inspections. This is a critical document that could be used in court to demonstrate due diligence in an accident involving a power-operated door. In addition, the standard also states that any control accessory must not interfere with or override the entrapment protection of the GDO.
Requirements
Power-operated pedestrian doors need to be properly installed, maintained, and inspected. This is a legal requirement for occupiers of premises where powered doors are used. As well as daily safety inspections, recorded automated door safety compliance checks of the entire doorway system and associated sensor and safety devices are also required.
Typically, the standards to achieve these requirements are based on British and European standards. The key requirements are that an assessment is undertaken to identify health and safety hazards, eliminate significant risks, and provide safeguards (where the risk cannot be eliminated).
The standard also recommends positioning the door so users can easily view it. For example, positioning vending machines, waste containers, or pay telephones within four feet of the doorway is not allowed as they may distract or deflect the user’s attention away from the moving door. Signage is also a key requirement, and it must be visible throughout the life of the building and be in a legible condition.
Certification
When a power-operated door is installed in a building, it must meet industry standards to protect pedestrians. These standards also require annual inspections and a daily safety check conducted by the doorway’s owner.
For example, a European standard EN 16005 sets guidelines for designing and operating power-operated doors. It includes specifications such as safe distances to reduce the risk of head entrapment and the need for barriers that can’t be removed or bypassed by people walking through them. It also requires that a logbook be kept, similar to a car’s service book, and filled in by the person responsible for the doorway.
Those who fit or work on automatic doors must be certified to conduct annual inspections and maintenance of these systems.
Installation
Installing a modern, safe automatic door operator requires some cable connections. These conduits must be pre-routed, and the sensors must be installed per the manufacturer’s instructions. These sensors aim to identify if people or objects are near the door that is about to close. Various sensors are used for this purpose, such as infrared passive and active sensors or photocells, which use a beam of light that is interrupted when an obstacle enters the detector area of the doors.
Alternatively, the doors can be triggered using pressure mats or floor-mounted sensors which recognize changes in the weight/pressure on a specific detection area. These are often used as a safety measure for people with reduced mobility who may struggle to trigger or operate a mechanical door.
Regardless of the type of sensor, operating instructions should be included in a risk assessment and displayed at the door or as a sign. Local operational checks are also recommended and should be detailed in a log book.