Automatic door system supply, installation and maintenance

Guidelines for Automatic Door Safety

• At the design and specification stage of building/door installation, account should be taken of the likely volume of traffic throughout the day and the type of pedestrian traffic through the particular installation. The latter could include the elderly, infirm, disabled, or very young children. Where the proportion of vulnerable pedestrians is high, consideration should be given to providing a separate conventional door.
• Examples of the minimum safety measures to meet the above legal requirements are described below. All of these measures can be retrofitted.
1. Suitable presence sensing devices should be provided to ensure that the automatic powered revolving door will stop before it can strike a person or object within its swept area;
2. A presence sensing device should be provided to give protection at the leading mullion and if a person or object is in this area, the door should stop before it can strike the person or object;
3. As secondary protection, and in addition to the presence sensing devices, sensitive edges (contact devices) should be provided at the bottom rail of each door leaf, and also at the leading mullion;
4. Emergency stop buttons should be provided which are easily identifiable and accessible, and which will stop rotation of the door and where practicable release the door leaves;
5. To prevent overspeeding when pushed and to limit the force which can act on a person who might be struck, a "reactive" load/force and speed-controlling device should be installed in the drive to the door. This should ensure that the maximum force exerted by the door cannot exceed 150 N, and the speed of the door can be held within a safe maximum speed even when pushed;
6. Where practicable, all safety devices should be monitored by the control system to ensure that the door will stop in a manner which allows exit, in the event of a failure being detected.
7. Where appropriate, all necessary warning signs should be fitted in accordance with PUWER eg:
   • Keep Clear;
   • In Emergency Push to Open;
   • Automatic Door, Keep Moving;

Guidance can be found in BS 5378: Part 1: 1980, Safety signs and colours: specification for colour and design

• The occupier should ensure that the door hardware, safety devices and safety systems are regularly maintained to the manufacturer´s specification by suitably trained personnel. Staff should be trained in correct operation of the doors and also in emergency procedures.
• Safe operation of the installation should be ensured by checking the equipment and safety devices on a daily basis in a thorough and systematic manner.

The above information is an excerpt from the Direct.gov.uk website.