Soft close and anti-slam pocket door accessories for offices
A commercial office is a hive of activity and is regulated by numerous policies and procedures to help manage health and safety. In a commercial office people are coming and going all the time, there is great movement between office spaces and there is also a need to control issues such as noise, as well as managing security and aiding accessibility. An office is the perfect space for a pocket door, in terms of its modern, visual appearance and also its space-creating qualities, but all these issues – health & safety, security and accessibility - can be helped by installing an anti-slam/soft close accessory to your pocket door.
What is an anti-slam/soft close accessory?
The anti-slam/soft close accessory is a feature that can be installed very easily to the overhead rail of the pocket door, to control the action of it closing. As the pocket door is pushed out of the pocket cavity and towards the close position, at a specific point the anti-slam/soft close accessory takes over and controls the final closing action of the door. This will then ensure the door slowly reaches its closed position and connects to this under controlled conditions, rather than being slammed shut and not under control.
- Compatibility – This accessory is compatible with both single and double pocket doors, and can also be used with glass pocket doors and the Syntesis pocket door, which has no architrave.
- Double pocket doors – If you wish to install the anti-slam/soft close accessory on a double pocket door, you will have to order two units, as one unit is required on each door.
- Retrospective installation – The anti-slam/soft close accessory can be retrospectively fitted to a pocket door system. So you may find after a period of use that this accessory would be beneficial, and you can fit this accessory post-installation.
- Bi-directional – The anti-slam/soft close fitting can be installed as a bi-directional fitting, meaning that the accessory controls both the closing and opening of the pocket door. Although a door being forcefully closed is perhaps more common, doors do also get slammed open, but you can avoid any problems by installing the anti-slam/soft close accessory.
What are the benefits of the anti-slam/soft close accessory?
As we have explained, in an office environment you are bound by many health and safety regulations, and you also want to create a quiet, focussed and studious atmosphere where possible, so the anti-slam/soft close feature is useful for:
- Noise – Avoid the door slamming shut and creating a noise hazard, which can become irritating and distracting. If this was happening repeatedly you may be breaching noise hazard regulations.
- Damage – Repeatedly slamming the door can start to damage the door itself, and perhaps the structure of the surrounding frame as well as the wall structure.
- Safety – If a door is slammed shut, or the wind catches it, the door can trap a person’s fingers or hand, or maybe even a leg, head or torso, and cause considerable damage. Some office spaces have long corridors or entrances where a wind tunnel effect is unavoidable, in such situations the anti-slam/soft close accessory can be extremely useful.
- Security – Some door designs can only be locked and fully secured if the door is properly rested in the closed position, ie. a lock will only automatically engage if the door is sitting flush and a sensor is triggered. The anti-slam/soft close feature helps with this process by ensuring that the door closes in controlled conditions. If the door was slammed shut it could rebound out of this housing and not be properly closed, in this situation a door wouldn’t be locked and could present a security hazard without anyone knowing about it or identifying the problem.
- Accessibility – Pocket doors help with accessibility because they are easier to open and close. The anti-slam/soft close feature further aids this process by slowing down the action of closing the door, this gives a person with limited accessibility or mobility issues more time to move through the door opening without being struck or trapped by it.
Although a commercial office is known to present fewer health and safety hazards, it is still strictly controlled by health and safety regulations and you have a duty to provide a safe and comfortable working environment. The anti-slam/soft close accessory helps a business operating a commercial office with health and safety, regulatory compliance and with insurance compliance. If you are interested in installing this feature on your pocket door then browse our range of accessories and order online today with Pocket Door Shop.
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