Dear reader

We tackle an explosive subject this issue – or rather how to prevent explosions by making sure equipment is fully ATEX-compliant. You can also discover why we’re objecting to the new draft standard for fire shutters.

Plus, you can now book on to our new training course for the Install Door Wiring Systems NVQ module.

If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to cover in future issues, please email andrew.collett@guthriedouglas.com.

Andrew Collett Director 01926 452452

PS Please take a minute to add our email address to your list of ‘safe’ addresses so that our next issue in August lands safely in your inbox.

ATEX- compliant drive unit

Understanding the fire and explosion risks at your customers’ premises, and deciding what equipment to use in hazardous areas, can itself be a hazardous process. That’s why Guthrie Douglas has advice and products to help you make the right call.

We couldn’t take this subject more seriously. After all, it’s likely one spark from an unknown source ignited the vapour cloud caused by spilled fuel at Buncefield oil depot. The resulting blast measured 2.4 on the Richter scale and injured 43 people.

It’s up to your customers to map the hazardous materials in their premises, such as fuel, solvents and alcohol. But, it’s up to you to ensure equipment supplied for areas where fumes, vapour or dust are present meets the ATEX directive by having no sources of ignition.

Guthrie Douglas makes it easy for you. We have one of the most comprehensive ranges of ATEX equipment you’ll find – from drives for high-speed roller shutters and sectional doors to controls and accessories, including ATEX-certified safety brakes. All are suitable for use in hazardous areas such as refineries, distilleries, sewage treatment works and paint spray booths.

The products are ATEX-certified by one of Europe’s top testing houses. So you can be confident they comply to the letter of the law, with assessment of the complete unit, not just the individual components.

If you have any doubt about the equipment you need, please talk to our technical sales team on 01926 452452. Two members of the team are Sira and ASA certified to help you understand the levels of risk, and to select the correct drive and controls. They can also advise on the right questions to ask your customers about how areas will be used.

Sira Test & Certification Ltd and ASA Consulting Engineers are recognised providers of training in hazardous area equipment and safe practice.

Download our datasheet on Drive systems for hazardous areas and see our case study.

Whisky distilling is one of the most recent industries to take seriously the need to comply with the ATEX directive. Risk assessments have shown alcohol fumes leak from the oak casks in which the whisky matures, and are at risk of ignition.

That’s led insurance companies to require distilleries to have ATEX equipment before they will insure them.

Working closely with door companies and distillers, our technical sales team was able to access the potential risks and recommend the right products from Guthrie Douglas’s extensive ATEX range.

We also managed to keep costs down. The flammable substance was identified as ethanol. This meant apparatus group IIA, temperature class T2, increased-safety drive units could be used, rather than the more expensive explosion-proof apparatus group IIC, temperature class T3 or T4 options.

If your customer has hazardous materials on site, please call our technical sales team on 01926 452452. They’ll give you qualified advice on the right drives and controls to suit your needs.

Places are now available on our Install Door Wiring Systems module of the Specialist Installation Occupations (Construction) NVQ Level 2.

Our training will give fitters a basic understanding of electricity, door wiring systems and the standards to enable them to answer the “Job Knowledge” questions typically posed by their NVQ Assessor. The course will be of value to all fitters, even those not completing the NVQ.

An installation engineer who attended our pilot course said: “I would strongly recommend the training for all those who work on electrical door installations. I’ve had no previous formal training in electrical work so the training gave me more confidence when working on site. I understand the products more and can now carry out useful testing procedures when fault finding.”

Training costs £180+VAT per person and includes three half-day sessions at our Warwick training centre, lunch and a completion certificate. Course 1 will be held on 8th, 16th and 22nd July. Course 2 will be held on 8th, 15th and 22nd September.

To book your place please call Tanya Mark on 01926 452452 or email tanya.mark@guthriedouglas.com.

Unable to attend on these dates? Let Tanya know, as we will add further dates or look at conducting training at customer sites if demand requires.

• High-speed application – Our Safedrive® Fi is in use at a tanker loading facility at Liverpool Docks. The drive was specified because the doors have to open in just nine seconds.
• Energy-saving benefits – Our fast-action Safedrives® are being used with insulated doors at an Airbus site in Wales. The fast operation and insulation helps the company save energy and makes the exposed site less susceptible to high winds and storm damage.
• Safety first – We’ve supplied flameproof ATEX drives to a leading petroleum company’s plant in Ireland.
• Prestige car marques rely on Guthrie Douglas – ATEX compliant drives, control panel, photo beams and safety edges are cutting the risk of explosion in the spray booth at a UK-based car manufacturer’s factory.
• Ease and reliability – Major door manufacturers are including our Wireless Safety Edge as standard in their door packages. They’ve found it’s easier to fit and more reliable than the traditional spiral cable option.

To find the right Guthrie Douglas product for your needs, please call our technical sales team on 01926 452452 or visit the Guthrie Douglas website.

Through the DHF, we have objected to one of the clauses in the new draft standard for fire shutters. The way it is currently written, the doors would be required to have two independent drive systems. In our opinion the cost impact of this on door companies and their customers is just not acceptable. It is also technically unnecessary.

We propose instead that the standard should specify “anti fallback” measures that are either speed independent or have a tripping speed well in excess of the door closing speed. More comments from other industry bodies around Europe are now being collated. It could be some months before there is a revised draft.

We’re halfway through the year and the market is in a state of change. There are fewer UK door manufacturers as companies move into supply and installation only. The UK companies left are striving for a competitive advantage over European manufacturers. That advantage could come from compliance – being able to prove to your customers that your doors are safe, reliable and legal.

You can be confident that all the Guthrie Douglas products you use are fully compliant with the latest regulations. Our technical team are also up to date on all the rules, so if there’s something you’re not sure about, please call us on 01926 452452.

A. Our TS range of control panels give you the information.

All the Guthrie Douglas TS control panels record the door’s last two faults. So you will be able to pinpoint the cause, even if the fault is intermittent and the door is operational again when you visit. This can help reduce your time on site and allow you to charge for callouts if the fault has been caused by improper use.

The entire Guthrie Douglas product range contains a raft of useful features as standard. To find out how they can help you achieve more, please call our technical sales team on 01926 452452.