Regardless of what type of business you happen to be in, your employee’s safety and well-being will be paramount. Looking more closely at the issue, the importance of robust and reliable doors within your premises must be addressed. They are important in ensuring a safe and secure environment for everyone who works for you.
It would be pretty close to the mark to suggest that doors are key points in the building’s security infrastructure and control who enters and who goes out of your building. However, there are other reasons why commercial steel doors are a must-have if you take the safety and security of your employees seriously.
Why commercial steel doors?
Commercial steel doors are designed to provide unmatched strength and resilience. Provided you acquire your commercial steel doors from a reputable supplier, they will be made from high-grade steel, giving you an effective barrier against all external threats. This is because the strength is not just in the material but built into the door structure and the frames they occupy. As you can imagine, steel doors can withstand high impacts, making them an effective deterrent against forced entries and increasing break-ins.
Again, choosing the right supplier can mean they are available in various styles to suit different needs. This could be a solid door for some areas or one with a glass panel or louver for extra visibility and airflow.
Fire resistance
Fire safety is a major concern for any business, regardless of size or industry. Along with fire marshals and the various types of fire extinguishers that are required, steel doors can also play a critical role. With the better doors holding a fire rating of up to three hours, they can do much to prevent the spread of a fire – which can make all the difference between a small entry in the incent book and a catastrophic event that could mean the end of your business.
To go into more detail, you can use steel doors to compartmentalize areas, slowing down the spread of fire and, just as crucially, smoke. This can provide extra minutes for evacuation and emergency response and save equipment vital to your company’s future. By installing doors of this nature, you are also likely to comply with the local legislation regarding building codes, which will also positively affect the premiums for any business insurance policies you have.
Durability
You do not need to be a science major to know that steel is tougher than wood or any other materials from which doors could be made. You can also show that they are less likely to crack or warp over time and maintain their integrity for years. This means that normal wear and tear will have little to no effect on them, and even the harshest treatment should leave them with no more than a few cursory dents.
This leads to the natural conclusion that steel doors will require little in the way of maintenance. In a time when overheads are rising, and bills need to be kept to a minimum, installing something likely to need very little in the way of repairs for many years makes good business sense.
Security
You know steel doors are robust, and anyone wishing to gain entry will have their work cut out. However, they can be combined with other methods to increase further the safety and security of your business and everyone in it.
Top of the list here are access control systems such as:
- Keycard readers must be inserted or swiped before the door can be unlocked.
- Biometric readers – these read fingerprints or retina scans before opening the door.
- Numeric keypads – entry is limited to those who know the right sequence.
These are typically linked to a system that alerts security personnel to anyone trying to gain access to an area they shouldn’t or repeated failed attempts.
Environmental comfort
Apart from the direct issues of safety and security, there is also the matter of employee well-being. They will feel happier in a secure environment, but you also need to consider their comfort. Commercial steel doors typically have a hollow center that can be filled with various substances – the better models typically contain insulation. This can aid in keeping a comfortable temperature at all times, leading to happier employees who tend to work more effectively.
A few final thoughts
When you drew up the plans for your new or refurbished premises, doors might not have been at the front of your mind. However, once the subject arose from the available options, there are many advantages to choosing commercial steel doors. They provide a better security solution and will give you valuable extra time in the event of a fire. As well as these beneficial features are also robust so that they will provide you with a long-lasting solution to these problems. Therefore, any misgivings you may have had about the cost of steel doors are not necessarily correct, as they will prove very cost-effective over time.
