Legislation

The 2010 Equality Act brought together over 116 separate pieces of legislation into one single Act. This replaced the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), but similarly required organisations or individuals providing goods, facilities or services to the public and their landlords or property managers (‘service providers’) to make reasonable adjustments to their properties to overcome physical barriers to access. Both new and existing buildings are included but not dwellings. As no detailed physical guidance is offered in the Act, specifiers following the guidance within Approved Document M and BS 8300 would by default comply with the Equality Act.

Approved Document M

Access to and use of buildings is currently divided into two volumes:

• Approved Document M – Access to and use of buildings: Volume 1 – Dwellings
• Approved Document M – Access to and use of buildings: Volume 2 – Buildings other than dwelling

The guidance provided in BS 8300 is also considered applicable to existing as well as new buildings and extensions. The present edition of BS 8300 no longer gives guidance on individual dwellings, which are now covered in BS 9266 : 2013. However, some of the recommendations given in BS 8300 could be used to supplement guidance on the design of dwellings where appropriate.

Solutions other than those shown in the Approved Document M or BS 8300 may be appropriate in particular situations, justified for Building Control purposes in an Access Statement.

Pursuant of the government-led initiative to reduce costs within the construction industry, Integrated Doorsets recognise that it is mandatory for all suppliers bidding on public sector building contracts to use BIM Level 2. Here at Integrated Doorsets we have created an extensive library of BIM objects which feature fully integrated manufacturing technology and are applicable to all of our key operating sectors. These parametric objects can be tailored by our team to suit your individual project requirements. Please contact a member of our sales support team on 01623 343111 to discuss your specific needs in more detail.

Fire

Fire resistance is one of the most fundamental performance criteria for doorsets. Integrated Doorsets’ products are third party certificated by CERTIFIRE, IFC or the BM TRADA Q Mark scheme and comply with Part B of the Approved Documents. Doorsets supplied under the BM TRADA Q-mark scheme are fitted with coloured identification dowels signifying their fire rating. Doorsets supplied under the Certifire or IFC scheme are fitted with tamper evident labels.

Approved Document B sets out the requirements relating to the escape of building occupants and access for fire-fighters with insurers and advisory organisations being particularly concerned with the protection of property. Approved Document B calls for fire resistance periods of 30 and 60 minutes when tested against either BS 476 part 22 or BS EN 1634-1.

Smoke

It is now generally acknowledged that, in the event of fire, it is smoke that is the major risk to occupants. Appropriate smoke seals and intumescents are automatically included with our doorsets to suit performance requirements. Only ambient (cold) smoke is identified in Approved Document B and refers to tests being carried out against either BS 476 part 31.1 or BS EN 1634-3 standards.

BS 9999 (Fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings. Code of practice) offers other application specific recommendations. In addition, the ‘Regulatory Reform (Fire safety) Order’ came into force during 2006, which consolidates over 100 existing pieces of legislation with fire safety provisions and eliminate the need for fire certificates. This requires information on fire precaution measures, including fire doors, to be made available to a ‘responsible person.’

Other guidance for specific building types is available for example:

• Health care premises –Health Technical Memorandum (H.T.M.) 05-02 Guidance and support of functional provisions for healthcare premises.
• Schools – Building Bulletin (BB) 100

BS 8214 is the ‘Code of practise for fire door assemblies with non metallic leaves’ and deals with most aspects of fire doors.

Integrated Doorsets is independently assessed by Interface to meet the requirements of the FSC^® Chain of Custody scheme.

Integrated Doorsets is independently assessed to operate a quality management system to meet the requirements of ISO 9001.

We operate an environmental system which complies with the requirements of ISO 14001.

We operate a health & safety management system which complies with the requirements of ISO 45001.

Approved Document K – ‘Protection from falling, collision and impact’, now incorporates the requirements of Approved Document N – ‘Glazing – safety in relation to impact, opening and cleaning’.

Approved Document K identifies the following key areas:

• Minimum areas of clear space in front of doors opening onto ramps and stairways
• Cupboards and ducts that open on to landings at the top of stairs
• Impacts with glazing, particularly glazing in doors and side screens, can result in cutting and piercing injuries, the risk being greatest between floor and shoulder level when near to the door handle or push plate.

Acoustic control within buildings can be a complex area traditionally involving either specialist consultants or a purely subjective approach. However, higher density living and the growth in noise sources today have increased awareness and driven measures to reduce problems resulting from noise pollution.

In particular, Approved Document E 2003, as amended in 2004, 2010, 2013 and 2015 includes quantifiable acoustic performance levels to ensure reasonable conditions in a wider range of residential buildings. It also establishes requirements for schools, linked to Department for Education guidance. Although not regulated, the best approach to non-residential building types should also be considered along similar lines.

The effects of acoustic privacy and nuisance noise are subjective and influenced by background noise within the room, distance from sound source and general context, amongst others. When considering walls containing doors, the combined performance of both elements may be relevant: with the proportion of door to wall being particularly important.

Whether or not required by law, the latest generation of acoustic doorsets is capable of satisfying appropriate sound reduction requirements economically.

Various documents, including BS 8214, H.T.M. 05-02 (hospital and health building) and SSLD7 (schools and education buildings) stress the importance of specifying the appropriate classification of doors to ensure long-term performance under anticipated uses. For many years BS DD 171 : 1987, ‘Guide to specifying performance requirements for hinged or pivoted doors (including test methods)’, provided the frame work to which doors and doorsets could be tested and evaluated, however, this standard is now withdrawn and strength and durability are now classified and tested by the European standards detailed below. The following classifications for category of duty apply:

BS EN 1192:2000 classifies the strength performance of doorsets based on the following test methods:

• BS EN 947:1999. Hinged or pivoted doors. Determination of the resistance to vertical load
• BS EN 948:1999. Hinged or pivoted doors. Determination of the resistance to static torsion
• BS EN 949:1999. Windows and curtain walling, doors, blinds and shutters. Determination of the resistance to soft and heavy body impact for doors
• BS EN 950:1999. Door leaves. Determination of the resistance to hard body impact

BS EN 1192:2000 also identifies tolerances for doors based on the methods for measurement within:

• BS EN 951:1999. Door leaves. Method for measurement of height, width, thickness and squareness
• BS EN 952:1999. Door leaves. General and local flatness. Measurement method

BS EN 12400:2002 classifies the performance of windows and pedestrian doors in respect of repeated opening and closing based on the following test method:

• BS EN 1191:2012. Windows and doors. Resistance to repeated opening and closing. Test method

BS EN 12217 defines the classification of the test results for the forces to open/close doors and to engage/release and lock/unlock the hardware using a key or handle, after testing in accordance with the following test method:

• BS EN 12046-2:2000. Operating forces. Test method Doors