64 • HARDWARE & SECURITY
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THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE MODERN LOCKSMITH
No longer just locks and keys!
Nick Perkins
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NICK PERKINS, TRAINING OFFICER at the DHF, examines how today’ s locksmiths have to keep pace with ongoing, numerous changes in what has become a fast-paced and increasingly technological industry.
There have been significant advancements in respect of gate automation through the years, particularly those appertaining to access control, and to reflect these changing times, dhf’ s guidance and training has never been more crucial.
“ The problem for today’ s locksmiths, is that locks are no longer just locks and keys!” says dhf’ s training officer, Nick Perkins,“ Modern locksmiths are now expected to work on a wide range of technologies, with locks now being commonly electronic devices which use swipe cards, key fobs and keypads for access, collectively referred to as‘ access control systems’”.
As electrical systems produce a need for electrical safety, a locksmith is now required to understand the wiring regulations [ BS 7671 ]. Potential problems include damaging existing mains wiring, interference due to proximity to the mains wiring and providing mains supply to lock or access control systems.
UNDERSTANDING THE RISKS
“ Access control systems are also commonly used to send activation signals to automated doors, gates and barriers. Hence, a locksmith can now find himself unwittingly altering the control system of a machine,” continues Nick.“ This machine might not be safe, or the locksmith may not completely understand the control implications of connecting to a particular command circuit on an automated system.
As the last person to work on the machine, the locksmith can very often be implicated when the automated door, gate or barrier turns out to be unsafe, injuring the user.” dhf guidance and training can help inform those working on access control systems that give command to an automated door, gate or barrier. The organisation has produced a document that can be downloaded from their website: Safety Warning Notice No 6: Addition of Alarm, Intercom and Access Control Systems to Existing Powered Doors and Gates, which offers information and guidance on preventing potentially dangerous situations with regard to access control systems, and ensuring safety and legal compliance.
“ Today’ s locksmiths are having to adapt to more modern techniques and practices,” concludes Nick.“ Ultimately, undergoing the correct training and keeping abreast of regulation and compliance will result in better standards and most importantly, safety.” dhf is absolutely committed to raising standards, educating the public and increasing awareness across the industry. The message is continuing to spread, via its annual initiative,‘ Gate Safety Week’. And through its ongoing training programmes, technical specifications, information sharing and collaborative working, dhf has made a significant improvement in the quality of installations, as well as the knowledge of installers throughout the UK.
EXPERT INFORMATION IS EASY TO ACCESS
Since September 2013, dhf has trained more than 1200 attendees on its Automated Gate Safety Diploma course, which is open to anyone working in the automated gate industry, including those who work on the access control systems element. In June 2016, it launched the Technical Specification TS 011:2016, the Code of Practice for the Design, Manufacture, Installation and Maintenance of Powered Gates and Traffic Barriers which provides a framework to ensure a gate is safe and, therefore, complies with the law. This document provides all the legislation and standards information required for anyone working on automated gates. Despite fully complementing the dhf Safety Diploma course, it is a stand-alone document which is freely available on the dhf website.
The new dhf website has a vast amount of information available for download that will help the modern locksmith, including the publications mentioned above, together with information on TS007.
Safety Warning Notice No 6: Addition of Alarm, Intercom and Access Control Systems to Existing Powered Doors and Gates- this can be downloaded here: http:// www. dhfonline. org. uk / publications / safety--security / 6. htm
Further information on dhf training programmes can be accessed here: http:// www. dhfonline. org. uk / training / automated-gates-training / 26. htm Further information on TS 011:2016 can be accessed here: http:// www. dhfonline. org. uk / publications / technicalspecifications / 1. htm
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL. CO. UK | SEP / OCT 2017 Sponsored by Aldridge Security