The EN 16005 supercedes the BS 7036 and brings onerous new requirements and potential liabilities to the UK industry. It is estimated that it will take more than 12 months to train engineers to the new standard and there will be a greater need for clear documentation and explicit due diligence.
GEZE UK is well prepared for the new standard, as all products are already tested to the highest European standards and the company has been implementing a rigorous training programme to ensure its automatic installation engineers are fully up to speed. This means that architects, developers and facilities managers in the UK will be able to call GEZE’s architects’ hotline to find the advice and hazard analysis they need.
Operations director Simon Bowden commented: “There is a general lack of awareness about this new legislation, but ignorance will not be an excuse for a lack of compliance. There is a liability issue here - everyone in the chain bears some responsibility for the overall safety of the powered door. The architect, developer, manufacturer, installer, building owner and servicing company are all liable if there is an accident involving a powered door, and if the due diligence can’t be proven or the paperwork is not in place, it could be bad for business, and very bad for brand reputation. We’re working with our customers to ensure that from original specification to on-going maintenance by the end user, our doors are compliant, effective and fully serviced by trained engineers.”