Door Industry Journal - Summer 2016

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk THE door industry journal summer 2016 industry news feature 6 Powered industrial doors, garage doors, gates and traffic barriers are all covered by the Machinery Directive and the same package of standards in equal measure. The applicable standards in this context are EN 12453, which describes what safe forces are, and EN 12445, which describes the test equipment and test methods to be used. These standards set out the current “state of the art” and hence what legislation sees as reasonable and practicable to achieve, much in the same way that BS 7671 (wiring regulations) describes the requirements for electrical safety. Force limitation for crush hazards is described in EN 12453 as a maximum of 400N, reducing to 150N in 0.75 seconds and reducing further to below 25N in 5 seconds. Only measurement with an EN 12445 compliant, calibrated force measurement force/time test meter can verify this. There are currently numerous myths circulating around the subject of force testing: Myth 1: Force testing does not apply to industrial or garage doors There is no basis for such a claim; all applicable legislation and standards apply in equal measure to powered gates, industrial doors, garage doors and traffic barriers. In some circumstances, where the manufacturer of a complete industrial or garage door, or the manufacturer of an electric operator/control panel/safe edge package, has had their product tested by a European Commission approved Notified Test Laboratory, the type testing process may have negated the need for testing at the initial commissioning stage. This can be confirmed in the door or electric operator documentation and will be apparent in the door installation instructions or the presence of “Article 36 authority” (Construction Products Regulation) for safe forces in the operator documentation. In all other situations, testing will be required to verify safe force. Myth 2: Traffic barriers intended for vehicular use are exempt from the need for force limitation Whilst this might have some basis, for it to apply, pedestrians would need to be securely and actively prevented from gaining access to the barrier. The use of signage diverting pedestrians to an alternative route does not achieve this. The Machinery Directive demands that foreseeable misuse must be considered and provided for in the risk assessment. Hence, if a pedestrian could foreseeably access the door, barrier or gate, it must be safe to that degree. Myth 3: Force testing powered gates is not valid because testing does not take into account the wind acting on a gate, which could dramatically increase the force. Force testing only tests the leading edge of a gate and for a swing gate the forces will be increased as you approach the hinge end of the gate The Machinery Directive would not allow that a powered gate could be less safe on a windy day and hence the provisions for safety must take potential environmental conditions into account and be provided for in the design. Verification that this is achieved is paramount. Force is a product primarily of weight, speed and torque and although torque can be seen to increase across the width of a swing gate towards the hinge area, speed is also Force Testing Powered Industrial Doors, Domestic Garage Doors, Gates and Traffic Barriers Nick Perkins, DHF Training Officer at the Door and Hardware Federation, dispels the numerous myths surrounding the subject of force testing doors, gates and barriers. It is now universally understood and accepted that where force limitation is the means of protecting a hazardous location on a powered gate, the gate will need to be force tested both at the commissioning stage and as part of maintenance; HSE confirmed this in its Safety Bulletin FOD 7 in 2010. The HSE advice applies equally to all powered access – read more at this direct link http://goo.gl/44CIv8 or visit www.hse.gov.uk .