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Great News! UL has published an article to clarify the different UL listings that apply to electrified hardware. This should help with the confusion caused by the model code requirements for the UL 294 listing on certain types of systems.
I'm on my way to Pittsburgh, and I hope to see some of you at the DHI conNextions conference! PLEASE come to one (or both!) of my sessions on Wednesday, or stop by the Allegion booth during exhibit hall hours!
I posted a while back about the proposed 8th edition of 780 CMR, the Massachusetts State Building Code. The link that I had provided to the proposed code stopped working, but the information is now available online, including a read-only link to the 2009 IBC, the proposed Massachusetts addendums, and the comments and proposals from the February public hearing.
This post was printed in the March 2014 issue of Doors & Hardware
Today's Quick Question keeps coming up: On which types of access-control doors do the model codes require the installation of an auxiliary push button to release the electrified lock?
You know me...when I go somewhere new, I never pass up the chance to share photos of the interesting doors I encounter. Unfortunately, my latest trip was a 3-night stay in the local hospital. It's always something.
One of the disadvantages of a shear lock is the noise associated with locking/unlocking. This post has a video of the operation of a shear lock.
I can definitely see how a lock that is only controlled by a phone could be a problem, and the court agreed - the tenants now have keys. WWYD?
Is the UL 294 listing required by the model codes for panic hardware with the electric latch retraction / electric dogging feature (EL/QEL)?
NFPA 80 does not prohibit their use but the International Building Code (IBC) requires automatic-closing doors in certain locations to be smoke-activated...automatic-closing by the actuation of smoke detectors...
I'm sorry I've been incommunicado this week...sometimes life gets in the way of hardware. When I agreed to lend a hand to my sister-in-law during the birth of my niece, I had no idea it would take 4 days! The good news is that my niece has arrived, and I was able to spend 4 days wandering the hospital halls looking at the hardware.
Electrified hardware causes a lot of confusion regarding the applicable code requirements, but understanding one concept would help to clear up many of the misinterpretations: Is every opening with electrified hardware considered a "special locking arrangement"?
When I went to the 2024 IBC to look for the section that requires egress doors to be readily distinguishable, I noticed something new...check it out in today's post!
I ran across this photo today on a network security blog (click the photo to go there). -->
Next week I will be back in my old stomping ground to do some training on recent and upcoming changes to the I-Codes, NFPA Codes, and referenced standards related to swinging door openings. It's not too late to register!
Automatic sliding doors have become very common in health care facilities and other types of buildings. In this post, I have answered some of the frequently asked code questions about these doors, with links to additional resources.
Today's Quick Question is one that comes up frequently with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs): When fail secure electrified hardware is installed on an exit door, how is egress accomplished during a power failure?
Last week I was able to squeeze in one last visit to the Museum of Fine Arts before security became so tight that I wouldn't be allowed inside until I could enter as a paying customer sometime in 2010. After working on this project for almost 5 years, it gave me a thrill to see art arriving in crates and in multiple pieces.
Although there is a section in the I-Codes dedicated to automatic doors, this section does not address the hardware used for security and egress. Locks for automatic sliding doors are covered in other sections of the model codes.
Here are some recent news stories you might be interested in reading...
My latest Decoded article, published in the January/February issue of Door Security + Safety, addresses upcoming changes to the 2024 I-Codes. I covered additional changes affecting electrified hardware in a previous article.
Today's Quick Question came from an AHJ: When I am evaluating a door that is equipped with a special locking arrangement, do the model code requirements for normal locking arrangements also apply?
One of the most fundamental requirements related to access control products can also be one of the most confusing - the functions of fail safe and fail secure electrified hardware. This post answers a few of the frequently asked questions related to this topic.
Electrified hardware can be particularly hard - especially when it comes to codes. To try to reduce the confusion that may result in inconsistent interpretations, I have created a new page called Special Locking Arrangements.
My Decoded course has been taken thousands of times on-demand, along with countless attendees who have participated in live Decoded classes taught by my Allegion coworkers. I just updated all 4 classes and they're ready to go!
I’m asked quite often if fusible link arms are still allowed to be used on fire doors. The logical place to start is NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives...
This post was published in the April 2014 issue of Doors & Hardware
In a few weeks I will be teaching my Decoded online course again, this time on behalf of the Center for Campus Fire Safety. The Decoded course is a 4-class series on code requirements applicable to doors and hardware, and is based on the following codes and standards...
There is one more online class in the series of four that I'm teaching on behalf of the Door & Hardware Institute - this Wednesday, February 18th, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Eastern. I'll be covering the code requirements pertaining to electrified hardware...
I'm working on another whiteboard animation video to help explain the different code sections that apply to mag-locks. Did I forget anything?
