Here, David Saxby, Senior Category Manager at IronmongeryDirect, discusses the antibacterial products and door hardware solutions to help minimise risk for building occupants as part of an overall hygiene strategy.
Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into acute focus the importance of employing practices to reduce transmission of bacteria, germs and viruses. Building owners, landlords and developers in every sector are looking for solutions that help to minimise the risk of contamination wherever possible, in order to provide facilities that allow safe access for all occupants.
Bacteria hotspots
Doors present one of the biggest risks for picking up bacteria in a building, where occupants frequently interact with door furniture and surfaces. Doors are an unavoidable part of building design so it is sensible to consider solutions that can help to reduce contact in these areas.
Automation
An easy way to reduce interaction with door furniture and hardware, is to specify solutions that completely eliminate the need to touch the door surface. Automatic swing door operators are an ideal solution for low, medium and high-volume traffic areas to enable automated door opening and closing. Furthermore, swing operator solutions that can operate using a proximity sensor, rather than button operation, are ideal where strict control of germs is required and to reduce any interaction with door hardware.
Fire doors
Thanks to technological advancements, it is possible to reduce door contact on fire doors, which is ideal for busy environments, or where it is essential for the doors to be open at certain times of the day, whilst still adhering to fire regulations. For example, the Agrippa Acoustic fire door holder is a wireless device that holds fire doors open to allow foot traffic to freely move within a building with ease. CE Marked and approved to EN1155 and EN1154, the solution listens and learns the sound of the building’s fire alarm and is programmed to release upon hearing that sound, thus closing the fire door to prevent the spread of smoke and flames. Using a device such as this not only reduces contact with the door, it also allows for increased air flow and ventilation, improves visibility for occupants to maintain social distancing, and improves access in line with the Equalities Act 2010.
Door furniture
Where doors cannot be automated, there are door furniture solutions designed with anti-bacterial properties that help to limit the spread of germs.
This includes push plates and finger plates that contain an antimicrobial additive that antagonises the settlement of micro-organisms on their surface, as well as antibacterial door lever handles manufactured with a nanotechnology anti-bacterial coating that protects against viruses, bacteria and mould organisms, killing 99.99% of MRSA, SARS, Listeria and other bacteria and viruses.
Furthermore, turn and release lavatory locks and escutcheons also manufactured with this technology can help reduce contamination in washrooms and where key locks are located. Ideal for schools, hospitals, care homes, dentists, nurseries and other public, high congregation areas, the nanotechnology anti-bacterial coating also provides a ‘self-cleaning’ effect that repels water and dirt.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has changed how buildings operate, with greater emphasis now placed on minimising physical contact and reducing the spread of germs an important consideration across every sector. Addressing and reducing common contact points, and frequently touched areas at doorways should be a key consideration as part of an overall hygiene strategy.