Clearview South December 2013 - Issue 145 | Page 67
2013REVIEW
CLEARVIEW EXCLUSIVE
2013 Opens the door for new
Automatic door safety
Anne Saxby, Automatic Door Installation
Association Director, has been involved in
Automatic door Associations for over 15
Years. Here she explains to Clearview how
new legislation impacted automatic door
safety in 2013…
April 10th 2013 saw the implementation
of the new BS EN16005 - Power operated
pedestrian doorsets — Safety in use—
Requirements and test methods.
The new document sates, “This European
Standard shall be given the status of a national
standard, either by publication of an identical
text or by endorsement, at the latest by April
2013, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by April 2013.”
This has been perceived as superseding the
existing standard BS7036:1996. The new
standard is European wide and aimed at
creating a uniformed standard of automatic
door safety throughout Europe.
The BS EN16005 is aimed at the safety
standards of all automatic doors to limit
To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com
potential dangers and hazards for members of
the public. These include tripping, Drawingin, crushing and impact hazards.
A series of Risk assessment, correct
specification of safety devices and adjustments
upon commissioning allow any automatic
door to be enjoyed safely; whilst the safety
devices are discreetly protecting the users.
There are no noticeable visual differences for
the consumer; all of the changes are within the
technologies used and the correct allocation of
protection devices or guards.
One point of note when compared to our
previous standard is the use of monitoring safety
devices that check they are fully working before
the door moves. The aim here is to not allow the
door to start moving unless the system knows all
the safety devices are correctly operating.
When looking at the market place, it’s
supposed that these sensors should not add
any additional cost to the end user per say as
it only refers to door sets installed after April
2013. With the widespread adoption of these
new sensor technologies across all Automatic
door companies the cost is comparable to the
older technology.
It’s been well documented since the
invention of commercial automatic doors
as we know them back in the 1960’s; of the
benefits that these type of doors give the
public: Unaided access for all including the
less able bodied, convenient environmental
protection in the building, easing congestion
in doorways and a welcoming entrance.
A study in America found that Members of
the public prefer automatic doors and actually
expect to see them on certain businesses.
The BS EN16005 now allows us to offer
all of these benefits along with our safest ever
technologies for peace of mind.
Automatic doors can be seamlessly
integrated with locks, intercoms, access
control and building management systems
to create bespoke entranceways to suit any
application.
There are numerous other legislative points
of difference in the standard that need to be
applied by your Automatic door professional,
which they learn and apply by passing the
accredited BS EN16005 training course and
exam.
The BS7036 has been part of the industry
for over 20 years so it’s very much a reference
for automatic doors in the construction
and architectural industries but the new
European EN16005 will surely become the
standard all consumers and professionals
look to.
All Automatic doors should be tested to this
standard annually and the employer should be
presented with a pass certificate. Think of it
like an MOT for your Automatic Door.
For more information on the new BS
EN16005 standard, find an Authorised
Installation company or to enquire about
the range of accredited training courses in
this subject visit at www.theadia.co.uk
The Automatic Door Installation
Association is a member owned
organisation designed to support and
promote the benefits of using Automatic
doors throughout the UK.
DEC 2013
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