Image of icicles representing extreme weather perfect for business door installation
By Paul Shewry Design • General Information • Security • Tips and Tricks • • 0 Comments

Why Choose Business Doors That Can Withstand Extreme Weather Conditions

Over the past few weeks, we have experienced extreme weather conditions that switches from cold to hot and vice versa as well as unusually heavy rain. This means businesses should be prepared to tackle the changes in temperature so that their profits don’t take a nosedive. One aspect that will greatly help in keeping your business open is a robust and sturdy business door. It can withstand the ever-changing weather conditions very well. 

At Doorway Services, we will help ensure that your business is up and running. Whether it’s the snow or the sun or a heavy downpour, our business doors will ensure that the weather is kept out of your workplace and your business functions are as smooth and secure as ever! Moreover, we undertake business door repair that will ensure safe access to your commercial building. 

In this piece, we have discussed why you should choose business doors that can withstand extreme weather conditions.

The Constant Change in Temperature

Over summer, doors and frames experience thermal expansion which makes the material of the door swell. This makes it tough for the door to fit in the frame. Moreover, your commercial door can experience thermal bowing. This is when the sun exposure from one side of the door and the cool indoor air on the other, come together and cause the door to bow in the direction of the sun. 

On the other hand, low temperatures can make the doors and their frames shrink making them vulnerable enough to crack over time and become more brittle. This is known as thermal contraction and wood is the primary example here.

The Effects of Weather

When choosing business doors, the weather definitely counts for a lot, but it is not the only consideration. The commercial doors you install have to withstand hail, snow, ice, rain and the sun. If it was just one element over a small period of time, it would barely affect your door. But imagine week after week of the same climate or, consistent but extreme changes in the weather. It will certainly have an impact on your commercial entrance doors. 

Constant exposure to the sun can give a faded look to the door’s finish. Moreover, humidity (which is not dependent on season) can put a lot of stress on materials like wood and make it either expand or contract.

At Doorway Services, we offer commercial door repairs service to reverse the effects of harsh weather. 

So, What are My Options with Business Doors?

A business door that’s robust and sturdy is made of fortified or coated steel that is capable of withstanding harsh weather conditions. This means that these commercial front doors are highly durable and will last for a long time. At Doorway Services, we install weather seals to our doors which adds an added layer of protection from the elements of the weather.

We will help you choose a door that has a robust finish and offers excellent weather resistance and durability. You should opt for a lighter shade as it will help fight thermal bowing, not to mention it won’t fade easily. 

Best Commercial Shop Doors for Extreme Weather

Dane Shutters

Apart from providing top-notch security, Dane shutters also provide excellent protection against constant changes in the weather. The insulation on these shutters not only protects your commercial building from the outdoors but also reduce the heat and energy loss from within the property. 

Steel Doors

As the name suggests, steel doors are extremely sturdy, hence weather resistant and they are suitable for businesses across industries. Our steel doors are manufactured from galvanised stainless steel with a zinc coating adding to their overall resistance. 

If you’d like to know more about installing weather-resistant business doors, get in touch with us today!

image of senior couple holding hands representing care home
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Maintenance • Security • Tips and Tricks • • 0 Comments

The 3 Types of Doors Every Care Home Needs

Adult care homes in the UK have been on the rise to serve the ever-increasing needs of our older population. As people age, it becomes consistently harder to cater to all their needs which is why care homes are often the perfect alternative to home-based care. But old age homes come with their own set of challenges. A great number of the elderly population suffers from Dementia, Alzheimers and Parkinsons. This means that the care home premises need to have top-notch safety and security measures in place to ensure that the residents within do not wander off on their own. 

This includes having adequate and well-trained staff on board to keep a close eye on people entering and exiting the care home premises. 

The types of doors installed at various points of entry is a brilliant way to safeguard the premises from both internal and external factors.

Robust and sturdy doors for care homes should be an integral aspect of your plan for a safe and secure property. 

This is why at Doorway Services, we’ve highlighted the 3 types of doors that every care home needs!

1. Fire Doors

 

You can never be too prepared in case of fire breakouts and care homes are no exception. Fire doors should be a part of both residential and commercial premises so that intense fires can be contained and the affected building can be evacuated. 

The simple truth is that fire doors save lives. They’re made to contain fire and smoke from spreading for a certain time period which can be used to:

  • Safeguard escape routes so people within care homes can safely vacate the premises. 
  • Safeguard the property and the contents within (for insurance purposes)
  • Let firefighters tackle the fire as safely and quickly as possible. 

Add smoke alarms and fire extinguishers to the mix and your care home will be at the peak of safety. Fire door maintenance and repair has to be taken up regularly to ensure they’re in top-notch condition as they’re integral to the health and safety of a premise. 

At Doorway Services, we’ll help you ensure that the fire doors in your care home are always functioning at the highest standard. 

2. Automatic Doors

 

The older population in care homes might not be able to manually open and close heavyset doors. This is where automatic doors come into the picture. What’s more, these are available in both swing and slide alternatives so you can take your pick. 

Having automatic doors installed in care homes and other commercial premises is applicable by law as well. According to the ‘Disability and Discrimination Act Part 3, Provision of Services’ enforced on 1st October 2004 – service providers have to make “reasonable adjustments” in their premises to make sure that people with disability are able to access the premises. 

This means elderly people and people with disabilities should be able to enter and exit premises freely and in a safe way. Care homes provide a service to the elderly which directly makes the law applicable to them. 

And the best way to ensure that the elderly can enter and exit a premise without any assistance is by installing automatic doors from Doorway Services.

3. Password Protected Automatic Doors

 

As mentioned earlier, the elderly in care homes may suffer from ailments like dementia. They might wander off sometimes without being able to find their way back and this concern in care homes is ever-present. 

To remedy this, care homes can install password protected automatic doors to ensure that the patients in the premise don’t ever lose their way. Unless a member of staff punches in the password, they won’t be able to get out of their respective wards. This way, care home personnel will be able to keep tabs on the whereabouts of every resident while ensuring they don’t wander away and hurt themselves. 

Password protected automatic doors are perhaps an easy and effective way to protect care homes from break-ins. So, if you’re wondering how you could up your game and make your premises more secure, password-protected doors are the answer!

At Doorway Services, we provide an extensive range of robust commercial doors perfect for care homes. What’s more, we can customise each door as per your individual requirements while also providing routine maintenance checks and repairs. 

Give us a call today and make your care homes safe and secure for its inhabitants!

image of roof mounted warehouse security camera
By Paul Shewry Automatic Doors • General Information • Management • Security 0 Comments

Is Your Retail Store Safe and Secure?

With retail stores, it’s very important that you stay on top of safety and security. The slightest slip in safety measures could result in hefty losses. In cases of theft and data breaches, your business reputation could take a hit which can affect your bottom line and your goodwill in the market. 

This is why you need to be prepared by employing the correct safety and security measures to avoid any harmful incidences. 

If you don’t have measures in place, you should look to implement some of the following to ensure your shop is safe and secure at all times.

Here’s how you can do it.

Be Conscious of Security-Related Threats and Evaluate Your Existing Practices

In order to safeguard your retail store from both internal and external threats, you need to be conscious of the warning signs. This way you’ll know what you’re up against and likewise, it can help you employ correct measures to remedy the situation.

Designing an efficient plan of action for security purposes will help you build strong security policies. For this, you’ll have to take a close look at your existing policies as well to find loopholes that may pose a security threat. This will help you to focus on where enhancements are needed and prepare and implement measures based on the risk factor. 

If you uncover some blind spots in your retail stores, you can install the right equipment to bring these spots to attention. This way you’ll be able to keep a better eye on the exposed area. 

Employ the Right Staff

Security policies exist so that they can be followed by your employees and used as a guide as they carry out their duties. For this, you have to ensure that the staff you have on board will reinforce policies instead of compromising and cutting corners with your retail security. 

To be sure of your staff’s credibility, make background checks an important aspect of your hiring process. Another thing you can do is to conduct roles and responsibilities specific checks before you hire someone.

Say, if you’re hiring a clerk or a cashier, then a basic background check that involves employment and address verification along with criminal history will suffice.

Whatever the role, ensure that you’re performing due diligence with every person you get on board.

Provide Adequate Training to Your Employees and Communicate the Company Policies As Well

It is your responsibility to make sure that all your employees are aware of the company policies regarding safety and security of your retail store. The guidelines and procedures that you have in place are to be communicated clearly to every employee at the time of joining. Any questions or doubts they may have are to be addressed and adequate training and hand-holding has to be provided for better work performance. 

When employees understand the various policies, they’ll have a better grasp of what’s expected of them. On the other hand, the training provided to them should be both relatable and relevant to their role so that your business can achieve an enhanced level of compliance. 

With proper training, you can tip the scale in your favour as it not only increases the chances of success but also creates a safety and security culture that’s constant throughout. 

Invest in Safe and Secure Equipment

At times, even a highly trained and proficient employee can face security issues if they don’t have the right safety tools at hand. This is why, it’s extremely important that as a retail store owner, you invest in safe and secure equipment like:

 

    • Automatic Doors – If the entry and exit points are secure, safety and security issues can be avoided within the retail premises. For this, installing automatic doors is the best as these not only provide an increased level of security but also can be controlled manually to seal the premises in case of security breaches.
    • Security Cameras – Installing surveillance camera systems is perhaps the safest and most effective way to ensure customer and employee safety. Security cameras have comprehensive coverage of all important areas.

 

 

Installing RFID, security tags, scanners and barcode labels to your products in the retail store are other tools that you can invest in to enhance safety measures. 

At Doorway Services we’ll help ensure front door safety with our extensive range products. Right from installing business doors to conducting regular door repairs and maintenance checks for optimal performance, we’re a one-stop-shop for retail business safety. 

Get in touch with us today for safe and secure business door solutions!