What we do in Bedfordshire
- Fire door hold-open devices. Alarm-linked devices that keep busy fire doors open for everyday use and release them to close automatically when the fire alarm operates. See fire door hold-open devices.
- Healthcare and care settings. Automatic doors for surgeries, clinics, wards and care homes, set up for gentle opening and closing where vulnerable people use them. See care homes and healthcare.
- Repairs to most makes. Fault-finding and repair of sliding, swing, folding and revolving automatic doors, with the visit price agreed in writing before an engineer attends and any parts quoted first. See automatic door repairs.
- Door openers at home. Automatic openers for front, back and internal doors in homes across Bedfordshire, arranged around the person using them and their carers. The survey is free and the quote is fixed. See home door openers.
Towns we list in Bedfordshire
Automatic doors and the law in England
Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which can include altering a physical feature such as a heavy entrance door.
Building regulations guidance in England (Approved Document M, Volume 2) says a powered opening system should be used where a self-closing entrance door would need more than 30 N at the leading edge to open, or more than 22.5 N between 30° and 60°, and expects external doors used by the public in new buildings to give at least 1000 mm of effective clear width.
In Great Britain a new or converted powered door must meet the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 before it is first used, and can carry the UKCA or the CE marking. Workplace law (the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992) expects powered doors to have suitable and effective features to stop them trapping anyone and, where needed for safety, to open by hand unless they open automatically if the power fails. Doors at work must also be kept in efficient working order under a suitable system of maintenance.
Doors on escape routes and fire doors are covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. In England, fire safety law says sliding or revolving doors must not be used for exits specifically intended as emergency exits.
Questions from Bedfordshire
Can work in Bedfordshire be done outside opening hours?
Yes. Early mornings, evenings and weekends can be arranged for shops, surgeries, offices and schools that need their entrance during the day. Tell us your preferred times when you enquire. Any extra cost is set out in the written quote or the agreed visit price before the work is booked.
Can you work with schools, hospitals and care homes in Bedfordshire?
We can. Healthcare, care and education buildings need doors that are gentle, reliable and safe for vulnerable users, with work planned around patients, residents or the school timetable. We provide written prices and records suited to organisations that buy through procurement. See sectors for more on each type of building.
Can an existing door in Bedfordshire be made automatic?
Often, yes. If the door, frame and hinges are sound, a swing or sliding operator can be added rather than replacing the whole entrance. The free survey checks the weight and condition of the door, the fixings, the space for the operator and the power supply. See automating an existing door for what is involved.
Can you fit automatic doors to listed buildings in Bedfordshire?
Often, yes, with the right consent. Changes to a listed building, or to a shopfront in a conservation area, usually need approval from the local planning authority. Slim operators and automating the existing door can reduce the visual impact. Our guide to shop doors, planning and listed buildings explains what to check.
Is the site survey in Bedfordshire free?
For new automatic doors, upgrades, retrofits and home door openers, yes: the site survey is free and comes with a fixed, itemised written quote and no obligation. Repairs, servicing and safety inspections are different. For those, the visit price is agreed in writing before an engineer attends.
Do businesses in Bedfordshire have to fit automatic doors?
No law says every building must have automatic doors. Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and building regulations guidance in England calls for a powered door where an entrance door would otherwise be too heavy to open. An automatic door is often the simplest way to meet both.