A Covid-secure culture

DHF (Door and Hardware Federation) has published a new best practice guide named Biosafe Hardware, which targets architects, facilities managers and building managers/owners, and offers information and support on how they might effectively balance health, safety and security, especially during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

“The objective of this document is to guide the reader towards the best solutions for making the doors in their buildings as biosafe as possible,” DHF’s head of commercial operations Patricia Sowsbery-Stevens said.

“Building managers and owners need to balance the requirements of security and safety, while minimising the transference of infectious diseases through touch, such as coronaviruses.”

The document is broken into four sections: powered pedestrian doors, doors that can be held open, doors that have to be touched, and solutions suitable for lever handles, knobs and similar, and provides the reader with a succinct guide including a summary of sections from the relevant European product standards.

A ‘door flow chart’ is also included offering multiple options on selecting the best solution to improve door hygiene.

“Very often, there will be a number of potential options for achieving door safety and these need to be balanced against budget, practicality, door type and frequency of use,” Patricia said. “The flow chart of questions, for example, is an excellent tool for enabling the reader to locate the sections of the document relevant to them.”