Page 38 - the SyI Quarterly 14 Booklet Format
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Architects for instance love glazing, who doesn’t, but this can lead to poor locking solutions that have to be re-
Think Door! retro fitted, and that are not quit right for the application, let alone the glazing specification as well.
The art of locking first came to us in 400BC, and it was the Egyptians that designed the method of opening a
Gate-lock with “A Key” which is still in your pocket today, and yes, it’s the same design today, and thanks to the
likes of Chubb, Hobbs, Bramah, Stenman, and in more recent times Henriksson.
I’d urge you to google one or more of these names to see what they designed and invented.
by Thomas A Jenkins MSyI, ATAJ SECURE LIMITED
Remember that feeling as a child closing the door or curtain
on your “Wendy House” or even a made-up house from waste
cardboard, blankets, and chairs in the garden? A great feeling
of fun, independence, and being “grown up” in your own
make-shift home. Well, it’s in our nature to need that feeling of
“being safe” behind a closed door, or window for that matter.
Charles Chubb Alfred Charles Hobbs Joseph Bramah August Stenman Emil Henriksson
Once we are in adult life, we sometimes take it for granted
that wherever we are, or whatever were doing that the doors
are shut, and all is good. Todays locking is governed by many British and European standards, and you’ll find some of these in building
approved document M. These are distributed in CPD and Diploma training methods by many associations, and
The average adult aged of around 50 something has more its members have years or examinations and certifications to take it forward in their place of work.
than likely passed through millions of doors in their life, and
many that you don’t even give a second glance at. As a fully qualified Master Locksmith and a Registered Architectural Ironmonger I can detail for you that a single
Take aircraft for example, that door is probably the most door in a new building design has a minimum of 15 different BS EN standards around it, each one having been
important door you’ve ever been through, but being either tested to give us a life cycle and protection in daily operation, and also in panic and emergency circumstances,
excited to get away, or just to relax on your way to a business and that’s with out even thinking of mitigating against fire, physical attack, ballistics, and blast performance.
meeting I bet you don’t even give it a thought.
In the UK we have been world leaders in testing against physical attack, durability and against fire, we have
many testing laboraties but in my opinion BRE have this covered under the LPCB – LPS 1175 and LPS 1271.
And these accreditations are being adopted worldwide. I wouldn’t like to guess the amount of money and hours
Being safe and secure has multiple reasons of importance, not spent by our countries leading manufacturers on testing, but it will be in the millions, and for that we should be
just a plane trip, or a ferry for that matter, or even when you grateful.
have had that time in hospital maybe for the delivery of your
child, or minor surgery, those doors need to be clinically clean The delivery of specification and training on doors be they for our physical security market or fire and or further
24/7 and in today’s specifications you can actually get anti- specialist sectors is down to us, our skills can identify many subjects for discussion in resolving the level needed
bacterial products to support a safer environment that includes against the risk, and this forms a critical part for planning.
door handles! And that’s just another example.
Lord West once said to businesses and the UK’s Infrastructure and I quote: “Protective Physical Security should
be considered in the design stage, and not thereafter, thus avoiding unattractive and expensive retrofit”.
When you do drop off your kids to school, I bet you think about
their safety in that building without you, Security is a massive Taking notice of doors is not an interesting hobby, but its plainly obvious that when I am on holiday with my
part of our lives, and a lot of it we do without thinking. We close good lady, I am always looking at building entrances, and getting the elbow for doing so, but I can’t help it.
our car DOOR, we maybe lock it, then we strap ourselves in as a I am not expecting anyone to take up my hobby (He laughs) but just take the time to look occasionally and
second layer of protection, that’s our nature.
wonder what you think is right, and wrong. Sometimes its plainly obvious if a specification is wrong, but could
you tell?
In the security industry we are focussed on the “bigger picture”
most of the time, and rightly so, but in my own experience doors During my career I have been privileged to work on and walk through doors that have been opened for our
sometimes get left behind in the order of importance when they wonderful late Queen Elizabeth II, I’ve been through the front of No 10, and the service entrance as well, and
should be in the detailed planning versus the risk right from the our security services on the “Thames” and much more, and they all must rely on the performance of the security
start, after all they are part of the envelope of the “said” building.
package and the personal that manage it. The delivery of that is our job, “Think Door” as well.
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