Ensuring Stadium Safety And Access

Stadium operators are faced with many challenges. Not only do they need to provide a safe and welcoming experience to all that enter the venue, but also comply with strict safety regulations and emergency exit requirements. Here Mark Gore, Business Development Manager at dormakaba outlines the relevant industry regulations with regard to door and access systems and how these can be met with a single solutions provider.

The large number of people present within a sports ground during a sporting event means that all areas of the building’s design must help ensure the safety of all spectators. In particular, the entrances and exits as well as the doors throughout the building require particular consideration as a balancing of different legislative requirements is sometimes required.

Published by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds, also known as the Green Guide and currently in its sixth edition, provides best practice advice and guidance on all aspects of safety. While it does not have statutory force itself, it provides recommendations specific to sports grounds to ensure compliance with wider regulations and the venue’s safety certificate.

Fire Safety And Emergency Evacuation

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) is a key source of fire legislation in England and Wales. The equivalent in Scotland is The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Both pieces of legislation apply to most non-residential properties in their respective countries and must be complied with throughout the operational life of the building. Both require a responsible person (duty holder in Scotland) to undertake a fire risk assessment and ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to guarantee the safety of building users.

This includes ensuring effective emergency exit routes. For sports grounds, there are particular considerations due to the number of people that must be evacuated in an emergency. For example, the capacity calculation for each section and for the ground as a whole is based in part, on the exit capacity and emergency evacuation capacity. These are defined respectively as ‘the number of people that can safely exit from the viewing area of the section under normal conditions’ and ‘the number of people that can safely negotiate the emergency evacuation routes and reach a place of safety within [a] set time’. Therefore, ensuring smooth, issue-free egress is essential to ensure the stadium can function as designed. The selection of door and gate solutions can make a significant difference, but often various solutions will be required throughout the route.

Furthermore, the RRO and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations, as highlighted in the Green Guide, states that no door or gate on the escape route should be fastened in a way that prevents it being opened easily and immediately by those exiting in an emergency. However, certain areas of the building, such as staff only areas, may need to be secured against access by the public. This means that a solution is required that not only provides robust access control but is also specially designed for use on escape routes. The emergency escape function on such products will allow the door to be locked in one direction but be opened at any time in the exit direction by simply operating the lever handle or panic bar. The Green Guide makes it clear that any use of electronic locking systems should be considered carefully to ensure that it does not present a hazard in an emergency.

Accessibility

Sports grounds must be accessible to all spectators. The Equality Act 2010 states that physical features of a building, including fixtures, fittings and equipment, must not restrict access to people with disabilities. If not specified correctly, doors can present an issue with regard to accessibility. Fire doors within the building must be self-closing to ensure they are effective in preventing the spread of smoke and flames in the event of a fire. However, the force required to open the door must be low enough to allow the door to be opened by wheelchair users or people with reduced muscle strength.

Choosing The Right Supply Partner

The complexity of ensuring compliance with the regulations underlines the importance of choosing the right supplier. In particular, selecting one that can offer a wide range of door and access solutions will mean that all requirements for each area of the building can be met simply. For example, dormakaba can provide solutions including perimeter security, entry turnstiles, automatic door operators, electronic access control and interior glass systems as well as a full range of door hardware. For sports grounds operators it is also important to select a supplier that understands the industry and can provide solutions that comply with the requirements outlined in the Green Guide.

Having a single supplier also has on-going benefits for the monitoring and management of doors. The number of doors within a stadium means that monitoring the condition and functionality to ensure compliance with the regulations can be a challenge. Being able to integrate the products and solutions into a single system means this can be achieved more easily. For example, a remote door management platform can be implemented to provide a single point of control of all automatic doors within the building. This allows operators to control and monitor each door remotely and enabling real-time control of parameters including locking, opening distances and motion sensing as well as providing remote diagnostics. It can also provide data on door usage, footfall and performance.

Similarly, digital access control solutions make managing the access rights of employees and visitors simple. With all door readers integrated into a single system, it allows rights to be adjusted remotely, and also offers the ability to maintain a detailed log of access to key areas to improve security.

The need to ensure the safety and comfort of spectators, as well as compliance with the regulations, means that the selection of door and access solutions must be considered carefully. There is no one-size-fits-all solution so partnering with a leading supplier that can offer advice and guidance will help make the process simple and ensure peace of mind.

To find out more about the dormakaba range and services visit www.dormakaba.co.uk.