30 • ACCESSCONTROL
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Access control all locked up
»»Jonathan Burke,
Marketing Manager at
Abloy UK, discusses why
compliance should be top
of the agenda for locksmiths
with regard to access control
and security, and explains
why electric locks provide
a more efficient solution in
terms of ongoing costs and
energy usage.
When it comes to access
control, it is important that
the occupants of a building
have fluid access and egress,
without this compromising
on their safety.
Means of escape need to
be prioritised too, and in the
event of an emergency, such
as a fire, there needs to be a
reliable exit route that allows
a quick and easy escape.
Locksmiths should be
aware that when specifying
and fitting security systems
on access points, there are
a number of benefits that
can be gained from selecting
electric locks over door
magnets.
There can be fire risks
associated with installing
a magnet on a door which
is used as a fire escape,
because they require special
arrangements to be made to
guarantee they are fail-safe
at all times in the event of an
emergency. It may be that
an alarm or ‘request to exit’
mechanism is required for
electromagnetic locks to allow
someone to exit.
The Abloy Academy
provides market-leading
training for the understanding
of the importance of
compliant solutions through
its foundation course, which
is held at the Abloy offices
in the West Midlands, its
London showroom, as well as
on site.
Considering
compliance
In comparison to door
magnets, electric locks offer a
compliant solution that meet
standards EN179 Emergency
Escape for when the building
occupants are aware of the
building environment, and
EN1125 Panic Escape for
environments used by the
general public.
So in emergency and panic
situations where a mechanical
means of escape is required,
motorised and solenoid locks
satisfy the legal requirements
of access points more
effectively.
In addition to this,
motorised locks do not
feature a handle – which is
the most vulnerable part of a
door - making them a handsfree solution that is perfect
for emergency exit access
control.
When a large number
of people need a swift and
smooth exit from a building,
maybe in the event of a fire, a
motorised lock improves the
flow of traffic through the door.
Therefore motorised locks
are often considered a more
secure alternative to a solenoid
variant.
All about energy
In addition to being more
compliant, electric locks are
substantially more energy
efficient than door magnets.
This is due to the fact that door
magnets require a constant
supply of electricity to power
the magnetic field that ensures
the door stays closed.
So when a person presses
the exit button on an access
point or swipes a card or fob
in order to pass through, the
magnetic hold on the door is
broken, allowing it to open.
In contrast, solenoid and
motorised locks only need
the use of electricity when the
door is actually being opened
or closed. In most instances
doors will be closed for a far
greater amount of time than
they will be open, meaning
electric locks use considerably
less energy than door
magnets.
To offer perspective on this,
13 door magnets use around
the same amount of electricity
as a kettle being constantly
boiled all day, whereas electric
locks will only require around
10-20 per cent of this amount
of energy to operate for the
same amount of time.
This offers the building
owner an attractive and costeffective option, and even
though electric locks may have
a larger up front cost, in the
long term they will cost less
and result in a lower carbon
footprint.
Security solutions
In order to provide
locksmiths with a compliant
and energy efficient security
solution, Abloy UK offers a
selection of compliant electric
locks that are ideal fo