Are Your Automatic Doors EN16005 Compliant?
Are you aware of whether or not your current automatic doors are of the highest safety standards? Many shop owners who had their doors installed pre April 2013 have discovered that their doors no longer comply with new European automatic door safety standards, which were released in April 2013.
Customer safety is of the utmost importance and from a financial, practical and moral point of view you do not want an accident on your hands because equipment you have invested in for your outlet has failed. Although automatic doors installed before April 2013 may reach current safety standards, it's certainly something you should check, as if they don't comply, you could find yourself in hot water fairly quickly.
The easiest way to check is to contact the company that installed your doors for you. If this isn't possible, it's worth contacting a reputable company to discuss the matter as soon as you can.
So what is the EN16005 standard?
The EN16005 was introduced in order to keep customers and general members of the public from being injured or hurt by automatic doors. The standard discusses key features and points which must be met in order to prevent dangers, dangerous situations and the potential for incidents relating to the automatic doors. The standards work to prevent any unnecessary accidents happening, and give guidelines to the manufacturer which must be met.
The EN16005 standard is applicable to all automatic entrance equipment made in European countries. And if the equipment is made outside of the EU, it must comply with the standard or be altered to comply with the standard in order for it to be used within any EU country. Other countries across the world also use this regulation to ensure their automatic entrance doors reach the highest level of safety.
The only automatic entrance equipment the standard doesn't relate to is equipment created especially for high security facilities like banks and prisons.
The EN16005 standard is applicable to all automatic entrance equipment made in European countries. And if the equipment is made outside of the EU, it must comply with the standard or be altered to comply with the standard in order for it to be used within any EU country. Other countries across the world also use this regulation to ensure their automatic entrance doors reach the highest level of safety.
The only automatic entrance equipment the standard doesn't relate to is equipment created especially for high security facilities like banks and prisons.
Why is safety so important?
Automatic doors are capable of causing a lot of damage, so the people who use those doors need to be kept as safe as possible at all times when they are using the doors. If body parts become trapped in the door, or a person becomes trapped in the door they can potentially lose a limb, or at worst, their life. The level of danger with each set of doors is different depending on its design.
Different types of automatic doors and their safety levels
Different doors tend to have different main danger points within their design.
• Sliding Doors - With sliding doors manufacturers tend to use sensors and door pockets in order to improve the safety levels of the door.
• Swing Doors - There are many different danger factors with swing doors, so sensors, speed control and finger protection are used to make them as safe as possible.
• Folding Doors - There are various edges with folding doors that present danger, so sensors, speed control and profile design are used to minimise risk.
• Revolving Doors - These can be particularly dangerous so safety levels are high and use slow down or stop sensors so if the door catches up to the customer, safety sensors on moving parts and safety strips.
Additional Safety
As well as the way the machine is actually made, it is important that extra precautions are taken to ensure the doors are as safe as possible. One of the main forms of additional safety is signage. In the EN16005 standard it states that attaching the correct signage is the responsibility of the person installing the automatic doors, and then when the doors have been installed, the building owner, business owner or resident of the property must maintain the signage from there on in.
Additional Standards
As well as the EN16005 standard there are additional pre-existing standards that should be adhered to. Some examples of these are:
• Workplace Regulations 1992
• BS7036
• The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC
These are just some of the components of the EN16005 standards. The document contains a complete and detailed analysis and list of specifications relating to automatic entrance machines. If you are considering purchasing a set of automatic doors, make sure you ask about EN16005 compliancy before you commit to a purchase. If you already have a set of automatic doors and don't know if they meet current safety standards, speak to a specialist company today who can check this for you and most importantly, update your doors if they are not currently compliant. Safety first!
