Roller Shutters with Personnel Access

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Roller shutters are the perfect access option for a huge range of commercial and industrial units – they’re sturdy, safe, secure, and can offer excellent insulation for even the draughtiest of buildings.

But they’re not always the most convenient option for people coming and going every day, particularly if the shutter needs to stay closed for that aforementioned insulating effect. Also, we have to admit, even the fastest roller shutter takes longer to open and close than your standard door. It’s not always the most convenient.

So if you have a busy site with plenty of comings and goings, proper personnel access is essential – for convenience, and for the safety of staying out of the way of vehicle access and egress.

What are your options for solving this problem, you may ask? Read on…

What is a wicket door?

A wicket door is a commonly-used solution to the issue of pedestrian access. Essentially a smaller door built into a larger door, they were traditionally used to save people the trouble of opening the massive entrance doors on, say, a manor or castle, a barn, or a city gate.

Today, they can also be installed in roller shutters – quite the technical feat, as the whole door mechanism will roll up into the shutter when open, and provide convenient access for personnel when the shutter is down.

Is a wicket door a good pedestrian access solution?

While it can add the fancy feeling of castle access to a standard day on site, we generally recommend against wicket doors in many circumstances.

Why? Well, in a roller shutter, the pedestrian part of the door isn’t flush to the floor – there’s usually a small step over to get in, which presents an unnecessary trip hazard.

And with more mechanisms and interlocks, even the best installed and maintained roller shutter will be more breakdown-prone if there’s a wicket door in place.

Ultimately, while they can be a good solution, they often cause as many – if not more – problems as they solve.

What’s the alternative to a wicket door?

It’s not the most exciting answer – but if it’s possible to install a separate door for pedestrian access, then you should.

Not only will it allow you to keep foot traffic and vehicle traffic separate, it will also improve safety – a wicket door is not the most effective fire exit door, for example.

A secure steel door is a much more efficient way of providing personnel access and egress, and presents you with a lot more options for your premises.

If you’ve got any questions, or would like a quote for installation, please just contact us!

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