Security
accessible design of buildings and the spaces within them, which includes: the development of inclusive design; strategic site and building layouts; access routes to and within buildings; entering a building, covering doors and access control systems; horizontal movement through corridors and other passageways; vertical movement up steps, stairs, ramps and slopes and handrails; individual rooms, such as bedrooms and quiet spaces; and specific building types.
In addition, BS 8300 advises on the maximum opening force for internal doors. It recommends a maximum of 30 N for the first 30˚ of initial movement and that this force must not exceed 22.5 N from 30 –60˚. It also covers how best to balance opening and closing forces when specifying a BS 8300-compliant door opening solution on fire rated doorsets.
Door closers also need to provide maximum protection against fire and smoke. Fire safety legislation is an ever increasing and complex part of any building design and given the potential threat to life and the possibility of costly damage to a site, care home managers naturally have a responsibility and a duty to ensure fire safety requirements are being met. Fire doors must be self-closing
Checks should be carried out on fire doors at least every six months and more regularly if the door is heavily used on a day-to-day basis
and therefore require a CE marked and tested door closer to be fitted and maintained.
There are a number of checks that can be undertaken to ensure that door closers are operating correctly. Firstly, open the door fully and check that it closes without dragging across the floor. Secondly, open the door to about 5-10˚ and again check that it fully closes, enaging any latch or seal. Finally, check that the door closing speed is about five seconds from a 90˚ angle, ensuring the door does not slam shut.
Checks should be carried out on fire doors at least every six months and more regularly if the door is heavily used on a day-to-day basis. A record of inspection and maintenance should be kept and those responsible for a site should encourage staff to report any issues. However, it is recommended that professional fire door service, repair and maintenance providers are consulted for assured peace of mind.
It is not only vital that care homes have properly certified hardware for fire safety, but also that the hardware supplier has the right accreditation in place to meet their needs. Those that are relevant include Warringtonfire FIRAS Installer Certification Scheme, BM TRADA Q-Mark Fire Door Installation and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongery diploma.
Furthermore, it is essential that suppliers have a comprehensive understanding of the legislation covering fire safety matters in and around buildings, such as Approved Document B,3
BS EN 16344 and BS 476.5 Only by
combining this specialist industry knowledge with recognised accreditation can professionals advise on and specify the most appropriate door closer products.
Performance expectations A closed door can change the ambience of a building or even constitute a hazard for those using it, which is why features such as hold-open door closers are in demand in care homes. Such environments need to cater for residents or visitors with disabilities, staff who need to carry items through doors and a
38
reasonably high volume and frequency of traffic. Hold-open door closers are a popular option in many care homes because they enable circulation or communal doors to be held open so that staff, residents and visitors are able to easily move about ‘barrier free’. Another important door closer functionality is free-swing. This functionality is ideal for care homes, particularly for individual bedroom doors, which might belong to less able individuals who require considerably lower opening forces.
Free-swing like hold-open doors, can help to improve the fire safety of a building. Fixtures are typically installed at the top of a fire door, which allows the door to swing freely with little force required to open it. However, the door closer will automatically close on a fire door should a fire alarm sound, meaning the door then acts as a barrier to stop a fire from spreading throughout a facility. It is also worth considering the benefits of soft motion closing. This functionality closes doors in a progressive and controlled manner, following their release from hold-open or free-swing modes, helping to reduce the risk of injury in users while also preventing damage to the doorset. The result is a more user-friendly, longer-lasting solution, which helps to extend the lifespan of the doorset and reduces longer term costs for the care home.
Flexible features
It should go without saying that the holding power and the manual release force of a door closer must be correct for the size of door to which the mechanisms are fitted, so it is sensible for care home managers to seek technical advice when choosing a product.
Many electro-mechanical door closers are difficult and time consuming to switch from hold-open to free-swing modes and typically require additional parts in order to do so. Furthermore, their fixed power set up – generally power size four of the BS EN 11546
standard for
controlled door closing devices – means that larger doors can be very difficult for less able people to open. Some of the latest door closers
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • March 2020
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
