Automatic door safety has never been more critical, as automated entrances now play a central role in accessibility, code compliance, and overall customer experience. Modern standards increasingly position automated doors as essential infrastructure, but when these systems are not properly serviced or calibrated, they pose real risks, underscoring the need for consistent maintenance and professional oversight.
At the foundation of safe operation are the ANSI/BHMA A156 standards—including A156.10 for power-operated pedestrian doors, A156.19 for power assist and low energy operated doors, A156.38 for low energy power operated sliding and folding doors, and A156.27 for power and manual operated revolving pedestrian doors—which define the performance, sensing, signage, and safety requirements manufacturers and service providers must meet. Building on these standards, AAADM (the American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers) advances industry-wide safety by training and certifying inspectors, standardizing inspection practices, and reinforcing the expectation of annual compliance through AAADM-certified professionals.
Annual AAADM-Certified Inspections: What They Include & Why They Matter
The importance of annual professional inspections cannot be overstated. They are required for compliance with ANSI/BHMA A156.10, A156.19, A156.38, and A156.27. Only AAADM-certified technicians can issue official AAADM inspection records. This inspection identifies issues such as sensor failures, wear patterns, aging door components, safe operation, and validated documentation. The inspection report documents to the door owner any deficiencies that should be addressed. Following the receipt of this report, the owner—who has care, custody, and control of the door—is responsible for correcting any deficiencies found during the inspection.
Common Pitfalls That Lead to Non‑Compliance
Common pitfalls often stem from routine oversights: Facility teams may skip daily inspections or fail to document them, creating gaps in required safety verification. They may also allow obstacles such as carts, merchandise, displays, or unsecured mats to accumulate in the door path, which can interfere with sensors and create OSHA-recognized hazards. In many cases, staff delay maintenance or ignore unusual noises or irregular door behavior, allowing minor issues to escalate into safety failures. Non-compliance also arises from missing or damaged safety decals, which are required for proper user notification and system compliance, as well as outdated or poorly calibrated sensors that fail to detect pedestrians consistently in changing traffic conditions.
Pitfalls such as these can have significant consequences. They can increase the risk of pedestrian injury through impact, entrapment, and trip hazards, especially where sensing and signage standards are not met. Facilities also face liability and insurance exposure, and non-compliance can lead to legal penalties. Finally, neglected maintenance and undetected deterioration can result in avoidable downtime and emergency repairs, disrupting operations and increasing long-term costs.
Safety Checks Every Facilities Manager Should Perform
While not a substitute for professional annual inspections, daily frontline safety checks by staff are recommended. The goal of these daily checks is to catch obvious hazards before they become incidents.
- Sensor Operation: It is important to verify that doors are activated from an appropriate distance when a person arrives. Many facilities target around 4-5 feet as an operational best practice for typical entries. The presence sensors should detect a user in the threshold for a minimum of 30 seconds without closing according to standards.
- Opening & Closing Speed: Doors must open at a controlled pace and close slowly and smoothly. Any jerking, scraping, or delayed movement may be signs of issues and should be examined.
- Clear Threshold & Pathway: Keep the threshold and swing or slide zone clear of obstructions such as carts, displays, mats, cords, or signage. It’s best practice to make sure mats are secure to avoid trip hazards or sensor interference. These are common OSHA housekeeping findings and a root cause of many incidents.
- Safety Decals & Signage: Confirm all code-required decals or signs (e.g., “Automatic Door,” “Push to Open,” emergency stop labeling) are present, visible, and undamaged, as required by standards.
- Post Power Outage Reset: After outages/surges, verify correct operation by repeating the previous steps. Operators can revert to defaults of fault states. Don’t assume settings persisted.
- Emergency Egress (“Breakout”) Function: For sliding/swinging systems with a breakout feature, ensure doors can swing out fully open for egress. This is both a life-safety and code-compliance matter.
A good tip is to build these checks into a two-minute open/close observation routine per entrance at the start of each shift, with a simple pass/fail checklist and escalation path.
Action Plan: What Facilities Managers Should Do Next
There are several practical next steps that facilities managers should implement. These come in the form of implementing a daily inspection routine using a formal checklist and scheduling annual AAADM inspections (instead of waiting for problems to surface). It is also recommended that facilities managers establish a preventative maintenance contract with credentialed providers and keep logs of inspections, service records, and decal replacements ensuring thorough records.
In the end, safety starts with consistency and consistency comes in the form of daily checks and annual inspections. Automatic doors are not just conveniences; they are essential safety devices and should be treated as such.
Marcus R. Keenan is the codes and product compliance manager at Allegion Access Technologies, bringing more than 25 years of field experience in the installation, service, and certification of power-operated pedestrian doors. He is a AAADM-certified inspector and trainer, and serves on the AAADM board of directors. Also an AAADM-certified professional, Todd Strickler is currently the field training and engineering support manager at STANLEY Access Technologies, bringing 29 years of specialized experience to the automated entrance industry.