Do Automatic Doors Need to Be Serviced by Law?

It is one of the most common questions we hear from building owners, facilities managers and even engineers:

Do automatic doors legally have to be serviced?

The answer isn’t quite as simple as yes or no.

Automatic doors are covered by legislation relating to machinery and workplace safety, and there are legal responsibilities around keeping doors and equipment safe and properly maintained.

What you won’t find is one universal rule stating that every automatic pedestrian door must be serviced at a set interval, such as every six months.

So, while the servicing interval itself isn’t necessarily prescribed by law, that doesn’t mean automatic doors can simply be installed and forgotten about.

Regular servicing and inspection are an important part of demonstrating that the responsibilities for keeping the door safe are being met.

What does the law actually say?

Powered automatic doors are machinery.

When they are placed on the market or put into service, relevant machinery legislation applies, including the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 in Great Britain.

Once the door is in use, there are also responsibilities relating to its ongoing safety and maintenance.

Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, workplaces and the equipment and devices within them must be maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.

The Regulations also specifically address doors and gates. Regulation 18 requires doors and gates to be suitably constructed and, where necessary, fitted with appropriate safety devices.

This becomes particularly important with automatic doors because they are powered machines capable of creating hazards including impact, crushing, shearing and drawing-in.

Building owners, employers and those responsible for premises also have wider duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to manage risks to employees and others who may be affected by their activities.

So, while you may not find a law stating:

“Your automatic door must be serviced every six months.”

You will find legal requirements relating to keeping equipment safe and properly maintained.

Where does BS EN 16005 come into it?

For powered pedestrian doors, BS EN 16005 is an important standard covering safety in use.

It provides requirements relating to the design, installation, commissioning, inspection and maintenance of powered pedestrian doors.

The standard is not itself the same thing as an Act of Parliament or Regulation. However, standards can provide an important benchmark for demonstrating good practice and appropriate safety measures.

For anyone responsible for an automatic door, simply saying “there is no law saying I have to service it every six months” misses the bigger issue.

The real question should be:

Can you demonstrate that the door is safe, correctly maintained and suitable for the people using it?

How often should an automatic door be serviced?

There isn’t necessarily one servicing interval that is appropriate for every automatic door.

The appropriate frequency can depend on factors such as:

  • how frequently the door is used;
  • the environment in which it operates;
  • the type and condition of the equipment;
  • the manufacturer’s recommendations;
  • the age of the door;
  • previous faults or repairs; and
  • the findings of previous inspections and risk assessments.

A heavily used entrance to a hospital, supermarket or transport facility may require considerably more attention than a door operating only a handful of times each day.

The servicing regime should therefore reflect the actual door, its use and the risks involved.

What should happen during a service?

Servicing an automatic door shouldn’t simply mean checking that it opens and closes.

A competent engineer should consider the complete doorset and its safety, including relevant activation and safety devices, sensors, door movement, clearances, signage, finger protection, escape arrangements where applicable and the general condition of the installation.
Any hazards, defects or recommendations identified should be recorded and communicated to the person responsible for the door.

This documentation can become particularly important if an incident occurs later.

What if the customer refuses recommended safety work?

An engineer may identify an issue during servicing which requires remedial work or additional safety measures.
If the person responsible for the door chooses not to carry out those recommendations, the engineer should clearly document what has been identified, the associated risk and the recommendation made.

Ultimately, the duty holder must make an informed decision about the continued operation of the door.
A service visit does not automatically make an unsafe door safe, and a service sticker should never be treated as proof that a door is compliant regardless of its condition.

Why maintenance records matter

If an accident involving a door results in an investigation or legal proceedings, the actions of those responsible for the premises may come under scrutiny.

This can include whether appropriate inspection and maintenance arrangements were in place, whether known defects had been acted upon and whether reasonable steps had been taken to manage foreseeable risks.

A lack of servicing, maintenance or appropriate records can make it much harder for a duty holder to demonstrate that reasonable steps had been taken to keep the door safe.

This is why keeping service records and acting on recommendations is so important. They provide a history of the condition of the door, any issues that have been identified and what has been done about them.

What about older automatic doors?

Older doors deserve particular attention.

A door may have been installed many years ago and still appear to operate perfectly well. That doesn’t necessarily mean that its safety arrangements remain appropriate today.

Changes to the building, how the entrance is used or the people using it can all affect risk.

For example, an entrance originally used by employees may later become accessible to members of the public, children, elderly people or other potentially vulnerable users.

This is why automatic door safety should be considered throughout the life of the doorset rather than only at the point of installation.

Who should service an automatic door?

Automatic doors should be inspected and maintained by someone with the appropriate competence, knowledge and understanding of the equipment and relevant safety requirements.

An engineer needs to understand much more than how to make the door operate.

They need to be able to recognise hazards, assess safety devices, identify faults and understand the requirements applicable to powered pedestrian doors.

If you’re responsible for an automatic door and need to find an appropriately trained engineer, the DoorSafe Register can be used to find or check a DoorSafe Authorised Technician and view their recognised training and certification.

The ADIA provides specialist training for the automatic door industry, including City & Guilds accredited training covering BS EN 16005, installation, servicing and maintenance.

So, is automatic door servicing a legal requirement?

The most accurate answer is:

Automatic doors are subject to legislation and there are legal responsibilities relating to their safety and maintenance. However, there isn’t one universal legal servicing interval that applies to every automatic pedestrian door.

Regular inspection and servicing by competent people is therefore an important part of managing those responsibilities.

Rather than asking whether you can technically avoid servicing an automatic door, the better question is whether you could demonstrate that you had taken reasonable steps to keep that door safe if something went wrong.

For building owners and duty holders, a suitable maintenance programme provides reassurance that problems can be identified before they result in an accident.

For engineers, good servicing isn’t just about keeping a door moving.

It’s about keeping people safe.

Need Automatic Door Training?

ADIA provides online training for automatic door engineers and companies throughout the UK, covering areas including BS EN 16005, Service & Maintenance, Installation of Pedestrian Doorsets and Surveying & Estimating. 

Our training helps engineers develop the technical knowledge required to install, inspect and maintain automatic doors safely and competently.

Reference Links

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