How to choose Automatic door Installers

IT IS IMPORTANT that any facility be knowledgeable on how to conduct such automatic door inspections and make it a standard practice to conduct them prior to the start of business EVERY DAY.

DAILY SAFETY CHECKS

While Hold Harmless clauses may appear in many automatic door PM / service contracts, it should be noted that the automatic door professional is not typically on site 24/7 to address deficiencies as they appear. Tampering with equipment by on-site engineering or pedestrians is not and cannot be the responsibility of a door professional contracted to provide quarterly inspections, for example. Daily safety checks are the responsibility of the automatic door end-user. Instructions on how to conduct standard safety inspections are provided by your AAADM provider at door installation in the form of a sticker on your door (typically on door frame / jamb) and a user manual. If you do not have instructions on how to conduct safety inspections, you may contact your AAADM service provider for information.

In order to aid facility managers and end-users in their daily safety checks, Dash Door has recently made available reissued versions of the 2009 AAADM educational videos. These videos provide clear instruction on how to conduct daily safety inspections on standard automatic door types.

• Folding Door Safety Check
• Low Energy Door Safety Check
• Door Safety Check
• Swing Door Safety Check

It is suggested that initial PM surveys be broken out as a separate proposal / purchase order prior to the formal commencement of the PM / inspection contract.

Facility-wide surveys conducted by an AAADM certified qualified firm should be the starting point in initiating a long-term preventative maintenance (PM) / risk management program. Negotiation of an automatic door PM program with your automatic door professional entails the assessment of the existing equipment in relation to ANSI and ADA code requirements as well as AAADM standard of practice recommendations. Before regular PM inspections and serve may be conducted, existing automatic door openings must be brought up to standards as a “baseline” starting point for your contract.

A facility cannot expect the door service professional to hit the starting block at a 400 door facility with 200 doors not meeting code requirements and AAADM recommendations. Repairs required to bring these openings to standard would undoubtedly occur within the first term of the first year of inspection cycles. These one-time costs always “muddy the waters” by showing what appears to be standard maintenance costs in a budget that was intended for the same. The PM budgets for following years are overestimated and some facilities leave funds on the tables when they realize that the PM budget for year two was overestimated because of year one’s one-time costs.

WHEN REQUESTING A FACILITY-WIDE EXISTING CONDITION SURVEY, BE SURE TO ASK YOUR AUTOMATIC DOOR PROFESSIONAL FOR THE FOLLOWING IN ORDER TO FACILITATE FUTURE COMMUNICATION :

QUALIFIED SURVEYS

Maintenance surveys are conducted by AAADM certified personnel
Final review of conditions made by Special Services Group for code compliance
Option to provide Preventative Maintenance Service during recurring surveys scheduled each year (includes equipment adjustment and wear item replacement)

ORGANIZED SUMMARY

• Point by point inspection checklists from both a maintenance and risk management perspective are utilized and summarized in a final report.
• Recommendations are made based on level of importance with respect to code compliance and day-to-day maintenance of wear items.
• Both written report and sortable summary MS Excel spreadsheet/database table can be provided so that you may view the results in any way you choose (sorted by entrance numbers, issue type, etc).
• Compliant entrances provided with final report noting compliance and inspection by door professional as the certifying party for your record.