Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007

Doors and gates.

11

11. An employer shall ensure that—

(a) the position, number and dimensions of doors and gates, and the materials used in their construction, are determined by the nature and use of the rooms or areas and are appropriate for the safety, health and welfare of employees,

(b) swing doors and swing gates are transparent or have see-through panels,

(c) transparent doors are appropriately marked at a conspicuous level,

(d) if transparent or translucent surfaces in doors and gates are not made of safety material and, if there is a danger that employees may be injured if a door or gate should shatter, the surfaces are protected against breakage,

(e) sliding doors and sliding gates are fitted with a safety device to prevent them from being derailed or falling over,

(f) doors and gates opening upwards are fitted with a mechanism to secure them against falling back,

(g) there are doors or gates for pedestrian traffic in the immediate vicinity of gates intended primarily for vehicle traffic, unless it is safe for pedestrians to pass through, and such doors or gates are clearly marked and kept unobstructed at all times, and

(h) mechanical doors and gates—

(i) function in such a way that there is no risk of accident to employees,

(ii) are fitted with easily identifiable and accessible emergency shut-down devices, and

(iii) can be opened manually where they operate as an emergency exit, unless they open automatically in the event of a power failure.