Ensuring that your Premises are Accessible to Public

Those who own or manage buildings that are regularly used by the public will know of the importance of making sure that they are both safe and accessible to all who make use of the premises. With public buildings, offices, and retail spaces needing to meet legal requirements that allow the public easy or reasonable access, those who manage or own one of these properties will want to make sure that they meet these standards.

One of the main ways that a business can make sure that it is accessible to all members of the public is through the adaption of entrances and exits and the installation of automatic doors. The fitting of automatic doors to the interior and exterior of a premises has many benefits, including the compliance with the law.

Complying with The Equality Act

In regards to British law, many businesses and premises are required to make reasonable adjustments to their property so that those suffering from physical disabilities can access the premises with ease. With the installation of automatic doors to the exterior and certain interior areas, you can make your property easily to enter and exit for all, which means that your business complies with The Equality Act 2010 (formerly the Disability Discrimination Act 1995).
Along with complying with The Equality Act, fitting automatic doors also makes easier access for those with varying needs. Those entering the premises with heavy or bulky loads, such as delivery people and parents with pushchairs will find it easier as they do not have to physically open the doors themselves.

Meeting BS7036 Standards

In the UK, the doors installed should meet the British Standard BS7036 Code of Practice for: Safety at Power Doors for Pedestrian Use which means that businesses need to make careful choice over which automatic doors they have fitted, and make sure that maintenance is regularly carried out on them to ensure that they are safe and fit for purpose.
Choosing a door that has an anti-squashing system will help meet the standards, as will ensuring that the doors chosen can be manually opened in the event of a power shortage and emergency evacuation situation. Once installed, premises with automatic doors need to display appropriate signage that includes but is not limited to keep clear signs, automatic door signs, and no entry signs should the building make use of one way systems of restricted access.

Making them Secure

With ensuring that your doors complies with The Equality Act and meets the BS7036 Standards and having them installed by professional experts, your automatic doors will already be safe for use by the public, but you will also want to make sure that they are secure. As with any publicly used property, owners and managers will want to help keep people and contents safe and secure.

When deciding what automatic doors to use on your premises, consider how they will be secured when the premises is closed or unoccupied, and how you will prevent unauthorised members of the public from entering properties that require restricted access such as hospitals and universities.

Our automatic doors have the option of being fitted with a numerical keypad for passcode entry and can have a reception button that allows those on the front desk to determine who can enter the premises during times of restricted entry.

Through the compliance and meeting of legal requirements and standards, along with the careful consideration of security, those who decide to use automatic doors on their premises will create a better experience for the public and make their property easily accessible for everyone.