There are many aspects to securing possessions and property and keeping buildings and people safe – and from fire and bacteria as well as unfortunate human tendencies. Making buildings accessible for those who can’t use conventional methods also comes under these sorts of headings. Some of the most useful in bacteria and fire are flagged up here.
BACTERIA CONTROL / ANTI-BAC DOOR FURNITURE
There are now various types of coatings applied to door furniture and similar to inhibit or stop bacterial spread. One such produced by a company called Salto, uses a mix of lacquer and silver ion particles, rather than the original nano technology photocatalytic coating which destroys organic compounds on surfaces – MRSA, E. Coli, and salmonella included. Then there is the metallic antibacterial plating used by Assa – this contributes to a more rapid decomposition of bacterial and micro-organisms.
These are good systems, better than the antibacterial coating which is sprayed on because of their longevity, because they are considerably more convenient and they make a sound contribution towards inhibiting bacterial spread. The Assa system for example breaks down all bacteria [tests were done with MRSA] – the Salto system has a minimum antimicrobial efficacy of 95%.
These are key products for all heavy use and vulnerable buildings – health is the obvious use, such buildings cannot be kept 100% clean and bacteria-free, the pressure on them is too great. These products are of significant help in bacteria management.
ACCESS
Everything associated with keeping things safe is based on the assumption that there is a battle being fought and it will be won by superior strength or intellect or both, and that it’s all about building defences against the aggressor, the would-be thief or attacker. Often though, as fire officers and police and care workers will tell you, the resultant complexity simply defeats those it’s supposed to protect. There is a range of products designed specifically to make getting in and out easier for occupants who can find such things difficult. Here are just 2 of the many – a high security key safe, and an easy entry key and lock – this key slides cleanly into the lock and is excellent for anyone with shaky hands.
High security key safe – not the most elegant looking piece of kit but robust and practical – it also has police recommendation; a rarity.
Making illegal copies of this ICS key – even by 3D printing – is virtually impossible, because of its design and structure generally, key designs now include specifications for easier handling – especially for anyone with shaky hands practical – it also has police recommendation; a rarity.
Protection
An excellent innovation by EVVA – the ICS system has different locking technologies for high levels of protection: time-tested curve system, the durable length profile and distinctive track system with internal recesses. The scanning takes place in five tracks through 13 spring-loaded locking elements and the durable length profile.
Security steel doors – variations include solid, louvred and vision panelled doors in both single and double door-sets for fire exits and personnel doorshe durable length profile and distinctive track system with internal recesses. The scanning takes place in five tracks through 13 spring-loaded locking elements and the durable length profile.
Fire
Regulations abound as do the products specifically designed for safety – and not just for fire – such as door closers, emergency escape doors and so on. Technical and engineering knowledge MUST cover all these matters, security and safety is a much bigger subject than which lock and key are appropriate for which circumstance.
Example of emergency escape doors – specified where a panic situation is likely to occur, such as any building where the general public would be admitted and would be unaware of how the door locks operate.
Specification: these doors should be fitted with a locking unit that is operable from the inside with a panic bar. The bar – NOT THE COMPLETE UNIT – should extend a minimum of 60% across the width of the door. Exit should be possible at a single push at anywhere on the bar. These doors must open outwards to conform with the standard.
Door design and manufacture is changing, and particularly in relation to fire and security requirements – these are steel door sets which [despite their clinical and unfussy appearance] meet all accreditation for build quality and fire rating.
Fire doors are critical, but they are also a nuisance and slow everybody down. So they get propped open, and as a result their entire purpose is lost. There is research which shows that some 65% of fire doors are left wedged open, and 80% of escape routes are obstructed. To put this in perspective, in 2012-13 there were about 63.5k fires in buildings in Britain, with 283 fatalities resulting [source: National Statistics].
Various solutions are being developed to solve the fire door problem. One such is an acoustic door wedge which keeps the door open but automatically allows it to close when the fire alarm goes off. This is the Dorgard, a wireless solution for legally and safely holding open fire doors in any position – this device automatically allows the door to close.
