The importance of security doors in business

It’s been quite a while since we discussed security doors, so we thought it was high time for a refresher.  Let’s begin by reminding ourselves what they are and why we need them.

What is a security door, and why do we need them?

Put simply, and as the name implies, a security door provides enhanced protection and shielding from various undesirable situations and circumstances; as a consequence they are likely to be heavy duty and of very solid (often but not always metal) construction, and great care will have been taken on their design.  There are several reasons why we might need them, chief amongst which are:

• preventing unwanted access (mindful as always of emergency evacuations)
• preventing or slowing down the passage of fire and/or smoke
• safety – a design that eliminates the possibility of fingers getting trapped in the door

Implications of not installing security doors …

Well, there are several, and they all hinge (no pun intended) on being unable to prevent the unwanted things happening: if your doors are not secure then it’s easier for people to break in and steal or damage your goods and property; fire and smoke will spread far more quickly; and people’s fingers can get trapped in closing doors.  So we’re talking about various points on the scale which range from actual loss of life through breaking the law and contravening regulations through severely damaged hands and fingers through loss/damage of/to valuable assets to raised insurance premiums … with all sorts of commercial implications.

Need we say more?

PAS 24

This is your guarantee that the door is being monitored by a UKAS accredited certification body to ensure compliance with PAS 24:201.

Enhanced security performance requirements for doorsets and windows in the UK. External doorsets and windows intended to offer a level of security suitable for dwellings and other buildings exposed to comparable risk and the specific and the relevant material specific standard for general performance referenced in BS 6375 Parts 1, 2 and 3.

PAS 24, like most British Standards, is a minimum standard.  In other words it doesn’t include higher or lower grades for security, and so doors that are tested to the specifications of the standard either pass or fail.  Although some of the doorsets that pass will be a little stronger than the minimum required, a minimum standard encourages engineers to design the door to pass at the minimum requirements.  This makes economic and environmental sense and the effectiveness of doors certificated to this standard has proven that the minimum levels set by the British Standards were just about spot on.

Classes of usage

Because there are all sorts of different environments where security doors are required, many of which are used by the general public, as you might expect there is a British Standard to help guide you through what type of door you need: DD171:1987.

The standard sets out four levels or classes of usage:

• Light duty – low frequency of use and probably not that extreme, such as in a private house
• Medium duty – medium frequency of use, some chance of an accident, but the door is not typically used by the public – for example an internal office door
• Heavy duty – lots of use, including by the public, and a reasonably high chance of an accident – for example in a retail outlet
• Severe duty – the only image you need to have in your mind here is a school when the bell goes for playtime and all the children run towards the door. Enough said!

Testing

Here’s a brief summary of the testing environment:

Test standard	Characteristics
BS EN 6375 Parts 1,2 & 3	General performance requirements for door assemblies, in conjunction with PAS 24 testing for SBD
DD 171	Guide to specifying performance requirements for hinged or pivoted doors
EN 1191	Windows and doors – resistance to repeated opening and closing
EN 1192	Doors – classification of strength requirements
BS EN 12046-2	Operating forces
HTM58	NHS Estates – internal doors

Safehinge?

Installing a secure door to prevent unwanted access and the spread of fire and smoke is one thing, but how do we prevent fingers getting trapped? This is where Safehinge comes in – a type of door hinge which completely eliminates any chance of fingers getting trapped by using a specialist pivot set and a curved (aluminium) profile – the gap at the hinge when opening and closing is therefore eliminated.

Expert advice

We’ve touched on some of the key things to think about when considering security doors, but of course there are other considerations too; as usual it’s vital that you talk to the experts.

If you would like further information on our company please visit our home page or go directly to our contact page when we will respond as quickly as possible.

As always we’ll be delighted to help and advise you.