Frequently Asked Questions

Q : The door I am working on does not have a safety brake, do I have to fit one?

A: The standard for doors does not recommend any specific device for protection against hazards. Instead it defines what is required and provides strategies for protection. The hazard here is fall back in the event of the failure of a single vulnerable component in the suspension system of the door, and the requirements are that at the point of failure the door either:

• Has a static weight of less than 20kg and the failed component is visible or detectable or
• Is prevented from dropping more than 300mm and further use is prevented

The strategies for protecting against this would be either safe design or to provide a device to achieve this, either is acceptable therefore many doors achieve compliance without the need for devices. In the first instance, refer to the CE/UKCA label on the door, or the manufacturer’s Declaration of Performance. If these show the essential characteristic of safe opening to be PASS, then the door can be considered compliant, as long as it has not been modified since installation and there are no obvious deficiencies.

In the absence of a label or DOP, it may be necessary to contact the manufacturer and ascertain how they protected the door against fallback. If this is not possible, it would be possible for a competent specialist contractor to assess the door for compliance, please see DHF TS 013-1 section 2.2 and/or consider our industrial & garage door safety training course.

Ultimately where doubt remains it may be necessary to advise the customer that installing a safety device is the best option.

Q:I am carrying out maintenance on a fire shutter and it has no safety brake – what are my options?

A: Any vertically moving door requires fall back protection, and the first port of call for a door installed after 2019 would be to consult the CE / UKCA label or Declaration of Performance. Where these show the essential characteristic of “safe opening” as PASS the door can be considered compliant, as long as it has not been modified since installation.

For doors installed prior to this date it will be necessary to contact the original manufacturer to find out whether fall back protection was incorporated into the original design, and if not whether a device can be retrofitted. Anything installed onto a fire shutter must have been included in a successful fire test or be the subject of an extended application report or fire engineers assessment hence without such evidence, it will not be possible to retrofit a device.

Where it is not possible to install a device it may be necessary to advise a replacement system for the client. See DHF TS 013-1 section 2.2 and/or consider our industrial & garage door safety training course.

Q: Is it necessary for me to force test a CE / UKCA marked door/gate/barrier on installation?

A: Yes. The initial type testing done to achieve the conformity mark would have been carried out on a single sample, in a very controlled environment without many of the factors which may affect performance on site. There will be a reduced number of tests required in comparison with the testing required for the initial type test but these will confirm that the system as installed achieves the level of safety required. It will additionally provide a benchmark for the ongoing reliability and performance of the system and of course provides evidence in the event of an incident that the installation company left the system in a safe condition. See DHF TS 013-1 section 6 and/or consider our industrial & garage door safety training course.