Overhead Door Safety Tips for Industrial Facilities

November 8, 2023

Keep your factory safe, keep business moving

Industrial facilities rely heavily on overhead doors to facilitate the smooth flow of materials, equipment, and personnel. While these doors play a critical role in enhancing productivity, they also pose potential safety hazards. Implementing effective safety measures is essential to prevent accidents and injuries. In this article, we will discuss essential safety tips for industrial facilities with industrial doors.


Regular Maintenance and Inspection


Maintenance is the cornerstone of overhead door safety. Establish a routine maintenance schedule to ensure that all doors are inspected regularly. Look for signs of wear and tear, loose or damaged components, and proper lubrication. Address any issues promptly to prevent accidents caused by malfunctioning doors.


Employee Training


Properly trained employees are essential for safe door operation. Ensure that all personnel who operate or work near overhead doors receive comprehensive training on safety protocols. They should be familiar with the door's operation, emergency procedures, and potential hazards.


Clear Signage and Warning Systems


Clearly marked signage and warning systems are critical for safety. Install warning signs near overhead doors to alert employees and visitors to potential dangers. Consider additional visual and auditory warning systems, such as flashing lights and alarms, to indicate when the door is in operation.


Emergency Procedures


Establish clear and accessible emergency procedures for dealing with overhead door-related accidents or malfunctions. Employees should know how to respond to incidents like entrapment or door failure. Ensure that emergency contact numbers are readily available.


Safety Sensors and Controls


Modern overhead doors often come equipped with safety sensors and controls. These devices can detect obstructions in the door's path and automatically reverse its movement to prevent accidents. Regularly inspect and test these sensors to ensure they are functioning correctly.


Keep Clear Zones


Maintain clear zones around overhead doors, both inside and outside the facility. Ensure that no equipment, materials, or personnel obstruct the door's path. Keep the area well-lit and marked to enhance visibility and prevent collisions.


Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)


Require employees working near overhead doors to wear appropriate personal protective equipment, such as helmets and high-visibility vests. This can help reduce the severity of injuries in case of accidents.


Lockout/Tagout Procedures


Implement lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures for overhead doors during maintenance or repair work. LOTO procedures involve isolating energy sources and clearly marking them to prevent accidental activation of the door while maintenance is underway.


Regular Testing


Conduct routine testing of overhead doors to ensure their proper functioning. This includes testing the emergency stop button, safety sensors, and control systems. Make any necessary repairs or adjustments promptly.


Record-Keeping


Maintain thorough records of maintenance, inspections, and safety training. Documentation can be valuable in demonstrating compliance with safety regulations and ensuring accountability.


Safety is paramount in industrial facilities, and
overhead doors are no exception. By implementing these overhead door safety tips, you can reduce the risk of accidents and create a safer working environment for your employees. Regular maintenance, employee training, and the use of safety features are all crucial elements in ensuring the safe operation of overhead doors in industrial settings. Prioritising safety not only protects your workforce but also contributes to increased efficiency and productivity in your facility.


By Elusha Cronje May 20, 2025
Why Regular Industrial Door Servicing Is Critical for Business Operations  Industrial doors do far more than open and close; they safeguard stock, control energy loss and protect staff. Yet they’re often ignored, until a jammed roller shutter halts production or a failed fire door breaches compliance. Proactive industrial door servicing turns these potential crises into routine, low‑cost maintenance tasks, protecting productivity and people alike. Introduction From distribution centres to food‑processing plants, industrial doors are mission‑critical. They regulate workflow, keep environments secure and help businesses meet health‑and‑safety targets. When a door fails, the ripple effects include: ● Downtime – stalled forklifts, missed dispatch slots, overtime costs ● Asset damage – warped tracks, torn curtains, dented panels ● Safety risks – trapped personnel, blocked fire‑escape routes ● Compliance exposure – insurance disputes, HSE penaltiesRegular industrial door servicing is a modest investment compared with these hidden costs. What Is Industrial Door Servicing? A professional maintenance visit typically includes: 1. Inspection – checking panels, tracks, springs, safety edges and control gear for wear or misalignment. 2. Lubrication – applying specialist greases to rollers, hinges and bearings to minimise friction. 3. Safety checks – testing photo‑cells, emergency release systems, fall‑arrest devices and fire‑door closers. 4. Replacement of worn parts – swapping cables, seals or weather strips before they fail. Doors That Require Routine Attention ● Roller shutters – heavy‑duty curtains and barrel assemblies need tension and balance checks. ● High ‑ speed doors – rapid cycles demand frequent sensor calibration and curtain inspection. ● Fire ‑ rated doors – legally mandated fire door compliance inspections verify integrity and automatic closing. ● Sectional overheads, dock levellers and steel security doors – each has unique service points that keep them running smoothly. Key Benefits of Regular Servicing Enhanced Operational Safety A well‑maintained door closes fully, detects obstructions and disengages safely in an emergency. This reduces the risk of crush injuries and ensures evacuation routes remain clear. Prevention of Unexpected Breakdowns Routine door maintenance identifies frayed cables or misaligned tracks before they snap or jam, avoiding unplanned stoppages and expensive call‑outs. Prolonged Equipment Lifespan Just as regular oil changes protect an engine, scheduled lubrication and component replacement extend a door’s working life, delaying capital expenditure on replacements. Legal Compliance Fire‑rated doors must meet BS EN 16034 standards and be inspected at least annually. Planned servicing produces a clear industrial door inspection record for auditors, insurers and the HSE. Why Choose Tridoor for Servicing?Certified Engineers & Fast Response Our technicians hold DHF and Gate Safe accreditation, arriving in fully stocked vans to resolve 90 % of faults on the first visit. Competitive Maintenance Plans Whether you need a one‑off roller shutter repair or a multi‑site contract, we offer flexible packages that include priority call‑outs and discounted parts. Nationwide Coverage & Multi‑Door Expertise From high‑speed clean‑room doors to cold‑store sliding panels, Tridoor services every brand and model, ideal for facilities with mixed assets. Robust Record‑Keeping We supply digital service logs, risk assessments and fire‑door certificates, valuable evidence for insurers and compliance officers. Frequently Asked Questions Do I need servicing if my doors are under warranty? Yes. Manufacturer warranties often stipulate professional maintenance to remain valid. Can servicing be done outside production hours? Absolutely. Tridoor schedules visits during shift changes, evenings or weekends to minimise disruption. What happens if engineers find a serious fault? We’ll issue a safety advisory, quote for immediate repair and, if necessary, isolate the door until it’s safe, protecting staff and assets. Conclusion Industrial doors are frontline assets—guarding stock, streamlining logistics and ensuring fire safety. Neglecting them invites breakdowns, compliance breaches and costly downtime. Regular industrial door servicing is therefore essential, not optional. Ready to safeguard your operation? Book a one‑off inspection or enrol in a planned maintenance schedule today. Contact Tridoor to keep your doors, and your business,moving smoothly.
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January 4, 2023
In simple terms yes. Roller shutter doors are manufactured using individual components that make up the full door system. The main components of a roller shutter door is the barrel assembly and the door curtain, these too are made up of individual items and can be replaced but the extent of this damage or wear to these two vital parts can sometimes make replacement a more cost effective option. The roller shutter door barrel: The barrel assembly or axle is often a steel tube, the size and thickness is determined to prevent deflection of the tube under the weight of the door curtain (industry standard is 1:400). The barrel may contain shafts, bushes, springs, motor and brakes. Depending upon the age of the door, all the items are readily available and replaceable. The roller barrel assembly is a classed as a suspension element and carries the weight of the roller shutter curtain, It is recommended that any repairs to the barrel assembly is carried out by a specialist door contractor who has the expertise to identify the parts, faults and can carry out the repairs safely. Replacement of motors and safety brakes should only be carried out by a specialist door contractor 
January 4, 2023
Roller shutter maintenance depends. Legal rights say industrial doors need maintenance every year but a domestic door can last longer due to lack of use.
November 28, 2022
In the design, manufacture and maintenance of industrial doors, demands of site, users and the environment are all taken into consideration. A suitable and sufficient risk assessment should be carried out for compliance and even where state-of-the-art requirements have been achieved, residual hazards are still present. Where recital 14 of the machinery directive is concerned, state-of-the-art is not cutting edge safety but the minimum level of safety required. Automatic doors can be opened by various means ranging from a simple push button, remote control, radar or induction floor loops, which activate the door and the door will raise to its upper most position. Once the door has reached its fully open position, for a fully automatic door, usually a timer is activated and the door will count down for a pre-determined time and the door will commence to close. An automatic door can also be where the door will remain at its fully open position indefinitely and requires a signal to close. Upon receipt of this signal, the door will begin to close automatically. For a door to work automatically in the closed position, safety features need to be present to prevent the door closing onto an obstruction or person. This can be in the form of a safety edge in conjunction with a low-level safety beam where either breaking the beam or contact of the safety edge will stop and return the door to the open position. Where a light barrier is installed, this is a full light curtain grid across the door opening and in the path of the closing door to a height of approximately 2500mm; crossing this beam at any point will stop and return the closing the door. As mentioned previously, recital 14 of the Machinery Directive relates to the minimum requirements for safety therefore residual hazards can still be present. When an automatic closing door is installed or maintained, the specialist door contractor should carry out a force test of the closing door. The force of the closing door should not exceed 400n, should reduce back to 150n in 0.75s to allow the door to stop and return so no overrun is present and should reduce further to 25n within 5s. The test is carried out at specific locations beneath the door and at heights where the door reaches full speed. A special force test meter is required to measure these forces on both doors and gates and should be calibrated on an annual basis. The test is recorded and a certificate is issued in order for the door to be compliant.
A large warehouse with a truck parked in the back
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