Organizational safety and security can be improved with next generation exit devices, says ASSA ABLOY – Corbin Russwin.

Commercial security

When it comes to enhancing building safety and security, protective measures like guard personnel, video surveillance and access control systems are typically top of mind.

While these are all proven security initiatives, door exit devices are a fundamental safety and security necessity for every type and size facility.

If your exit devices are substandard, it puts your entire building and its occupants at risk.  

However, even the best locking devices and hardware can be rendered ineffective if pragmatic door control policies are not practiced by building occupants.

The four main premises are:

1. There should be one primary entry point into your facility, which should be monitored or staffed by a guard or receptionist to help deter, recognize and respond to potential threats. The more entrances you have, the more difficult it becomes to monitor and control them
2. All other entry/egress points should be equipped with high quality exit devices to ensure they remain locked and facilitate easy egress in the event of an emergency event
3. All of the entry/egress locks need to be tested on a scheduled basis to ensure they operate properly
4. It’s imperative to inform building occupants that doors should never be propped open, which is an innocent practice when staffers run to their cars to retrieve something left behind or step outside for a breath of air

Establishing and enforcing these four relatively simple door control policies with building occupants is an easy and effective way to maintain foundational security and reduce risk.

Exit devices selection criteria

New innovations and advancements in exit devices are engineered to deliver added value that enhance safety, security and durability, resulting in lower total cost of ownership.

Design and construction integrity

It goes without saying that all door locks and hardware are not created equal, and there are many different grades of products available that perform the same basic functions, but are engineered and manufactured to very different standard levels.

In general, commercial properties should feature door locks and hardware manufactured to ANSI/BHMA A156.3 Grade 1 standards.

The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) is accredited by the America National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop and maintain performance standards for locks, closers, exit devices and other builders’ hardware.

The ANSI/BHMA A156 series of standards describes and establishes features and criteria for an array of builders’ hardware products including locks, closers, exit devices, butts, hinges, power-operated doors and access control products.

It is widely considered a best practice for commercial facilities to look for this rating on door locks and hardware to ensure they are installing products with the durability for high-volume, high abuse environments.

To meet these rigid standards, commercial grade exit devices should feature durable, high-strength construction materials like stainless steel that help keep maintenance and repair costs to a minimum. Additionally, exit devices should be engineered with limited vulnerabilities.

For example, conventional exit devices have between 20 and 30 internal components and connection points, each of which can potentially fail in high-use and abuse environments.

However, the new offering of next generation exit devices minimize the number of components and connections, reducing potential points of operational failure which bolsters security, extends product life and reduces maintenance and repair costs related to failed devices.

Another product engineering detail to look for relates to the exit device’s end cap.

New next generation exit devices are engineered so that the end cap and push bar are entirely flush, greatly reducing the chances of anything or anyone getting caught on the device.

This small, yet important, attention to detail helps reduce maintenance costs, potential damage to mobile assets like computer carts and liability from personal injuries.

Some exit device solutions are engineered to withstand heavy usage, reduce the need for frequent product replacements and deliver an extended lifespan.

These next generation exit devices are built to resist abusive conditions and have sloped, flush surfaces to eliminate catch points and minimize damage. 

Making security highly visible

The heightened demand for increased safety has never been more pronounced.

By integrating visual status indicators into exit devices, highly durable locks not only fulfill practical needs but also contribute to safety during emergency situations and play a large role in reducing risk.

Adding visual status indicators to these exit devices provides several distinct advantages that transcend the mechanical and aesthetic advantages of even modern exit device solutions.

The intrinsic simplicity of visual indicators makes exit devices a user-friendly solution, employing large, color-coded windows that instantly confirm whether a door is unlocked (green) or locked (red) at a single glance from a distance.

The applications for next generation locks and exit devices with visual indicators are far reaching.

These new devices provide instant verification from wide angles and extended distances that a door is either locked or open.

This is most critical in the unfortunate event of a crisis event when individuals need to take shelter in place at moment’s notice as far away from doors as possible – or are seeking a fast way to exit a room or facility as quickly and easily as possible.

Having the ability to instantly identify at a glance if a door is locked or unlocked can save valuable seconds and reduce risk in an emergency situation.

This new visual dimension addition to exit device benefits corporate offices, warehouses, distribution centers… virtually any private or public venue where large numbers of people go to work, shop, learn, play or be entertained.

This article was originally published in the September edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.