Door Hardware 101: How to support BS 8300 and Doc M compliance with door closers
What is BS 8300?
BS 8300: Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment is a British Standard which was introduced in 1995, and revised most recently in 2018. As the full title suggests, BS 8300 sets out how a building should be designed, constructed and maintained in order to create an environment that is fit for purpose, where every person is able to use the building easily and independently. In 2018, the Standard was split into two parts — covering the considerations for a building’s external and internal elements, respectively;
· BS 8300-1:2018 External environment – code of practice
· BS 8300-2:2018 Buildings – code of practice
Rutland has extensive knowledge on BS 8300 Part 2, due to our focus on achieving closing forces and clear opening widths for door closers and associated hardware. The BS 8300 standard is at risk of being withdrawn soon, with BS 8300 and BS EN 17210 (the European standard) currently under review.
Approved Document M
Closely related to BS 8300 is Approved Document M. BS 8300 provides detailed practical guidance to the industry, whilst Approved Document M establishes specific requirements for achieving compliance with building standards. Document M states that a door leaf should have a minimum width of 925mm to enable a clear opening width of 800mm. This also makes it possible to achieve door opening forces within the recommendations.
For buildings in Great Britain, The Equality Act replaced the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) in October 2010. Northern Ireland still refers to the DDA, and buildings in Ireland should adhere to the Irish Disability Act 2005. The Equality Act and Document M go hand-in-hand to ensure that no matter the ability of a resident, all building users are treated fairly and have equal access to services within the built environment.
Failure to comply with the Equality Act 2010 can lead to court proceedings on the basis of discrimination. It applies to employers, service providers (e.g. shops, hotels, healthcare, transport), education providers, landlords and housing providers, and public authorities.
Compliance-assisting products
All Rutland door closers are designed with compliance in mind from the outset. Many of our products – including the TS 9205 scissor arm closer, TS.11204 slide arm closer, and ITS.11204 concealed closer – have been verified to assist Document M and BS 8300 compliance.
For Document M contracts, door closers that assist BS 8300 are recommended. The more efficient the door closer, the easier it will be to open to the door, whilst maintaining the required strength to reliably close the door.
Our whitepaper ‘Ensuring compliance in door opening forces’ provides further guidance and practical tips on ways to achieve door opening and closing compliance.
To find out more information on both BS 8300 and Document M, please speak with our specialists: email sales@rutlanduk.co.uk.
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