Commercial door accidents are more common than you might think – according to OSHA, thousands of reported injuries or deaths are related to doors in the workplace. Advance Door Co. can help minimize the risk to our customers by ensuring they choose the right door for the right space – and that it’s in good working order.

Fortunately, most door-related injuries are minor, such as cuts and bruises. However, serious injuries or deaths do occur due to faulty doors, failure to repair doors or improper procedure. Businesses can face costly fines and lawsuits if door safety is not addressed and a serious accident occurs.

The good news is that most of these incidents are avoidable. Preventing commercial door accidents involves a combination of proper door design, maintenance, signage, and employee awareness. There are key measures to reduce the risk of injuries.

Safe Door Designs

Swinging doors should be slow closing or soft close doors to prevent slamming. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that doors with closers close in at least five seconds from 90 degrees to 12 degrees to allow for enough time for people with disabilities to pass through the doorway. Door closers can and should be adjusted if the door closes faster than the ADA guidelines allow.

A common injury sustained from doors is laceration or amputation of fingertips. Most doors have several pinch points – door hinges and jambs, cable rollers, door closers, and more. Accidents can happen during routine operations, such as a supermarket employee who caught a fingertip between the door jamb pinch point and a cart that he was pushing. A simple closing door can amputate fingers if the door closes quickly and with too much force. To increase safety around doors, hinge guards can be installed to reduce the likelihood of hand injuries around door jambs.

Visibility of oncoming traffic is important for safety. Vision panels should be installed if possible to prevent collisions. In high traffic areas, automatic doors aid in ensuring safety because they do not need to be manually opened and closed. To reduce congestion and ensure efficient travel, hallways and doorways should be kept free from obstructions and items that can be tripping hazards.

Commercial Door Signage and Markings

Clear signage and markings, such as Push/Pull labels to indicate the direction of the door swing, should be present on commercial doors. Automatic doors should be marked with a yellow Caution sign to indicate that the door will open and close automatically. Door swing path markings on the floor ensure that the path of the door swing remains clear to avoid collisions. Emergency exits and fire doors should be marked clearly.

Employee Awareness and Training

Workers are often in a hurry in a fast-paced work environment. Make sure that staff is educated on the safe use of doors, especially for heavy or  automatic doors. Ensure that staff gets in the habit of cautious commercial door usage by opening doors slowly. Fire doors should not be propped open since they are designed to stay closed during a fire. An automatic fire door should be installed in areas where there is a need for a fire door to remain open.

Special caution should be observed when servicing around doors. For example, an overhead door contains safety features that will stop the door path of travel if there is an obstruction underneath. However, no such safety feature exists for when the door path is up. In one tragic incident, an electrician was killed as he was installing wiring above the overhead door, when an employee opened the garage door, knocking the man off the ladder. To avoid accidents, lockout/tagout procedures should be followed when servicing the door or working in the path of door travel.

Regular Commercial Door Maintenance and Inspection

Check for loose hinges, faulty door closers, or sticking doors. Loose door hinges can happen with both wood and steel doors, and can lead to door malfunctioning so this should be corrected as soon as possible. Occasionally check door hardware for tightness and replace any worn out or broken handles, latches, locks, and panic bars. Ensure that fire doors open and close properly, and that intumescent strips that seal in smoke are intact.

In the case of overhead doors, door hardware should be checked regularly, and any broken, loose or rusted hardware should be repaired or replaced. Door springs are a relatively well known hazard, and can weaken over time due to metal fatigue. Have qualified persons inspect and replace any door spring hardware as needed. Lubricate hinges, rollers, and moving parts to ensure that the door moves smoothly, and to prevent unusual wear on components due to stuck parts.

Automatic and revolving doors should have their safety sensors checked periodically to ensure that they are functioning properly. Automatic doors should never close while there is an obstruction in the door swing path to prevent falling or crushing injuries. If a door is malfunctioning, it should be put out of order and serviced by a qualified technician.

By using safe door designs, clear signage and markings, ensuring that employees are well trained and aware of door hazards, and performing proper door maintenance, door safety accidents can be avoided. If your business has doors in need of inspection or repairs, our Cleveland commercial door experts can ensure your doors are operating safely and efficiently!