Many businesses have to make a decision about whether to install a manual entry door or an automatic door to make entering a building easier. The decision should be made based on the needs of the business and the frequency of human entry. Do not assume the equipment is safe, please check weekly. Occupier checks do not replace the professional maintenance contractor and the need for periodic servicing and compliance checks.
In a facility that gets a lot of human traffic, the automatic door is recommended because it requires little to no maintenance and takes no time at all to open or close. In a facility that sees less traffic, a manual entry door is recommended because it requires less effort, is easier to maintain,
Automatic doors have become the standard for practically all publicly accessible business entrances. You are allowing people of all physical abilities to enter and exit without difficulty.
But, what happens if you begin to experience malfunctions with your automatic door? You’ve locked out potential customers or clients as well as potentially not being compliant with building and accessibility code requirements.
Accessibility to your place of business is simply too important to leave up to chance. That’s why we have created this handy automatic door maintenance checklist for you and your staff to follow.
Below you will find our daily safety checklists for automatic Sliding, Swinging, Folding and Revolving doors. Perform this safety check daily on each automatic door. These minimum safety checks, in addition to those in the owner’s manual should be made each day and after any loss of electrical power.
Safe uses of automated sliding doors should never be a passing thought. Making sure yours are functioning properly and not putting users at risk of injury needs to be high on your priority list. Fortunately, keeping your automatic sliding door users safe is simple with our daily safety checklist that addresses:
Ensuring safe activation and operation involves testing sensors, mats, holding beams, and closing speed. Here’s what we suggest for each:
Walk to the door at a normal pace. When you’re about four feet from the door, it should start opening. The door should slide open smoothly, and it should stop without impact. The sensor pattern should provide effective detection within 5″ (or less) from the face of the door (measured from the center of the clear opening) and extend outward to a minimum of 43″ from the face of the door.
This zone should be at least equal to the clear opening width of the door when measured at 8″ and 30″, extending perpendicular from the door face. The sensor should be able to detect objects with a minimum height of 28″. When you step out of the sensor pattern, the door should not start to close before 1.5 seconds have passed.
Step on the opening mat. The door should swing open smoothly and stop without impact. A mat should be no less wide than the door opening minus 5” on each side. Walk-test each side if there are mats on each side. At the threshold, no more than 6″ of inactive area should exist. After you step off the mat, the door should start to close only after at least 1.5 seconds have passed. To detect any inappropriate dead spots on the mats, walk-test them by standing at several locations.
While not always required on automatic sliding doors photoelectric beams offer protection in the threshold area of a sliding door. If the beam is broken, the door should stop until the connection is restored.
To test a safety beam, remain still on the door threshold (i.e., directly between the doors or between the door and jamb on a single leaf slider). When you do so, the door should remain open. Cover the doorway holding beam with your hand and remain still. If closed at the time, the door should open fully.
If the door is open when covering the doorway holding beam, it should remain open for at least 1.5 seconds after you move your hand. If other safety devices are also being used, crouch motionless in the door opening for 10 seconds. The door should not close. The lower holding beam or sensors should detect objects 28” tall.
Your automatic sliding door should not close faster than 1 foot per second. When a door is no less than 2″ from its fully closed position, its closing speed should become noticeably slower.
Don’t ignore the integrity and condition of the door hardware when assessing the safety of an automatic sliding door. Inspect the mat molding and threshold to make sure they’re complete and secured with all screws tightened.
Check the door panels for broken or cracked glass.
Make sure every automatic sliding door has an Emergency Push Open sign and a Caution Automatic door sign on it. Each of these signs should be 58″ (give or take 5″) from the floor.
Not only are proper function and parts of a door critical to safety, but also is what’s happening around it.
it should be noted that the automatic door professional is not typically on site 24/7 to address deficiencies as they appear. Tampering with equipment by on-site engineering or pedestrians is not and cannot be the responsibility of a door professional contracted to provide quarterly inspections, for example.
Daily safety checks are the responsibility of the automatic door end-user. Instructions on how to conduct standard safety inspections are provided by your AAADM provider at door installation in the form of a sticker on your door (typically on door frame / jamb) and a user manual. If you do not have instructions on how to conduct safety inspections, you may contact your AAADM service provider for information.
Perform this safety check daily on each automatic swinging door
Walk to the door at a normal moderate pace. The door should start opening when you are about four feet from the door. The door should swing open smoothly and stop without impact. The door should take at least 1.5 seconds to open 80 degrees.
The sensor pattern should activate the door no more than 5” from the door or no less than 43” from the door, and be almost as wide as the door opening 30” from the door. The sensor should be able to detect objects 28” tall upon stepping out of the sensor pattern, the door should not start to close in less than 1.5 seconds.
Step on the opening mat. The door should swing open smoothly and stop without impact. The door should take at least 1.5 seconds to open 80 degrees. If the door is for two-way traffic [In and out], then mat activation from swing side occurs at least 55” from the end of the guard rail from the swing side and 43” from the door on the approach side. There should be no more than 6” of inactive area at the threshold. Walk test all mats by standing for 4 seconds at several locations to be sure there are no appropriate dead spots.
Step through the door onto the safety mat or into the safety area . The door should remain open. The safety area should extend a full 5” beyond the leading edge of the door in the fully open position. The mat or safety pattern should be no less wide than the door opening minus 5” on each side.
If sensor is used for activation and a mat for safety, the active area of the mat shall extend 5” into the approach area of the door measured from the door face or, the door threshold area shall be equipped with an auxiliary safety device or, door closing cycle shall have 4 second delay after activating area is cleared.
Step out of the safety area. The door should remain open for at least 1.5 seconds. The door should then close and stop without impact. The door should close slowly to 10 degrees from fully closed, then noticeably slow down and take at least 1.5 seconds for the final 10 degrees.
Approach the safety side of the door first and then have someone else approach the activating side of the door, as long as you are in the safety area of the door it should not open.
* Caution: If safety sensor is not working door may swing at you without stopping *
It should be noted that the automatic door professional is not typically on site 24/7 to address deficiencies as they appear. Tampering with equipment by on-site engineering or pedestrians is not and cannot be the responsibility of a door professional contracted to provide quarterly inspections, for example.
Daily safety checks are the responsibility of the automatic door end-user. Instructions on how to conduct standard safety inspections are provided by your AAADM provider at door installation in the form of a sticker on your door (typically on door frame / jamb) and a user manual.
If you do not have instructions on how to conduct safety inspections, you may contact your AAADM service provider for information. If you have questions about any of the above items. Please ask our service representative. Safety devices for all doors should be checked by an AADM certified inspector at least annually. If you have a problem you can’t correct, turn off the door and contact us.
Perform this safety check daily on each automatic folding door
Walk to the door at a normal to moderate pace. The door should start opening when you are about four feet from the door. The door should fold open smoothly and stop without impact. The sensor pattern should activate the door no more than 5” from the door or, no less than 43” from the door, and be almost as wide as the door opening 30” from the door. The sensor should be able to detect objects 28”. Upon stepping out of the sensor pattern the door should not start to close in less than 1.5 seconds.
Step on the opening mat. The door should fold open smoothly and stop without impact. If the door is for two – way traffic [ IN and OUT], then mat activation from the fold side should occur at least 48” from the end of the fold panel when open and 43” from the door on the non-fold side. Walk test the mats by standing at several locations to be sure there are no inappropriate dead spots.
Step through the door onto the safety mat or into the safety area, remain motionless for 4 seconds. The door should remain open. Repeat at several locations in the safety area. The safety area should extend a full 5” beyond the leading edge of the folding door in the fully open position. The mat or safety pattern should be no less wide than the clear door opening minus 5” on each side of the door opening when closed. If a sensor is used for activation and a mat for safety, the activity area of the mat shall extend 5” into the approach area of the door measured from door face or the door opening area shall be equipped with an auxiliary safety device which shall be used to prevent a fully open door from closing when a person is in the space between the two non-overlapping activation / safety detection areas or door closing cycle shall have 4 seconds delay after activating area is cleared.
Step out of the safety area. The door should remain open for at least 1.5 seconds. The door should then close and stop without impact. The door should close slowly to 2” from fully closed, then noticeably slow down and take at least 1.5 seconds for the final 12”.
Step out of the safety area. The door should remain open for at least 1.5 seconds. The door should then close and stop without impact. The door should close slowly to 10 degrees from fully closed, then noticeably slow down and take at least 1.5 seconds for the final 10 degrees.
Approach the safety side of the door first and then have someone else approach the activating side of the door, as long as you are in the safety area of the door it should not open.
* Caution: If safety sensor is not working door may swing at you without stopping *
If you have questions about any of the items, please ask our service representative. Safety devices for all doors should be checked by an AADM certified inspector at least annually. If you have a problem you cannot correct, turn off the door and contact us for inspection and repair.
it should be noted that the automatic door professional is not typically on site 24/7 to address deficiencies as they appear. Tampering with equipment by on-site engineering or pedestrians is not and cannot be the responsibility of a door professional contracted to provide quarterly inspections, for example. Daily safety checks are the responsibility of the automatic door end-user.
Instructions on how to conduct standard safety inspections are provided by your AAADM provider at door installation in the form of a sticker on your door (typically on door frame / jamb) and a user manual. If you do not have instructions on how to conduct safety inspections, you may contact your AAADM service provider for information.
These things should be assessed at least once a year, If not more frequently inspected. The more use that your revolving doors get, the more frequently they should be checked. Some of the basics on the checklist [This is not the entire list] include:
* If these things are unfamiliar to you, don’t attempt a revolving door inspection on your own! Instead call a professional who is familiar with proper revolving door operation who can help you ensure things are functioning properly. *
These minimum safety checks, in addition to the Owner’s Manual, should be made each day and after any loss of electric power.
it should be noted that the automatic door professional is not typically on site 24/7 to address deficiencies as they appear. Tampering with equipment by on-site engineering or pedestrians is not and cannot be the responsibility of a door professional contracted to provide quarterly inspections, for example. Daily safety checks are the responsibility of the automatic door end-user.
Instructions on how to conduct standard safety inspections are provided by your AAADM provider at door installation in the form of a sticker on your door (typically on door frame / jamb) and a user manual. If you do not have instructions on how to conduct safety inspections, you may contact your AAADM service provider for information.
Revolving doors not only require routine maintenance but can also be dangerous when a functional defect exists that goes undetected. For this reason, even if your revolving door isn’t exhibiting any obvious issues, it is a good idea to schedule routine inspections with a certified revolving door repair and maintenance company familiar with OSHA, AADM and other revolving door safety standards.
If you want to make sure your automatic sliding doors continue to be a helpful feature for your facility, rather than a legal hazard, follow these guidelines. Finally, a commercial automatic door inspection should be conducted every day or at least every week.
It is an important part of any preventive maintenance plan. Establish a regular routine that tracks the level of performance you’re getting from your automatic doors. Once you know how your door is supposed to operate, it will be much easier during daily safety checks to establish when you see a drop in performance, and you’ll be able to act to address the issue. By performing regular inspections and maintenance of your automatic door you can prevent avoidable damage and mishaps.
it should be noted that the automatic door professional is not typically on site 24/7 to address deficiencies as they appear. Tampering with equipment by on-site engineering or pedestrians is not and cannot be the responsibility of a door professional contracted to provide quarterly inspections, for example. Daily safety checks are the responsibility of the automatic door end-user.
Instructions on how to conduct standard safety inspections are provided by your AAADM provider at door installation in the form of a sticker on your door (typically on door frame / jamb) and a user manual. If you do not have instructions on how to conduct safety inspections, you may contact your AAADM service provider for information.