Page 26 - Security Today, November/December 2024

A C C E S S C O N T R O L
Serhii/stock.adobe.com
Making the Grade
Classifying daily operations and emergency situations
By Karen Keating
ware across a school district or university cam-
Managing and maintaining locks and door hard-
pus is a big responsibility. A building’s security
needs to change over time as occupancy and use
demands evolve, which can make it even more
challenging. Knowing the basics of common door hardware, in-
cluding locks, panic devices and door closers, can make a differ-
ence in daily operations and emergency situations.
FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY CODES,
FIRST AND FOREMOST
Security should never come at the expense of fi re and life safety
requirements. In almost all locations, doors along paths of egress
must be able to be unlatched with a single motion, in the direc-
tion of egress. All facilities must adhere to local building and fi re
codes to protect the occupants. Codes will vary by location and
are typically based on the model codes of the International Code
Council (ICC) and/or the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA); the well-known door hardware industry blog idighard-
ware.com makes it easy to access this information.
2 6 Locks and door hardware should meet the requirements set by
the American National Standards Institute and Builders Hard-
ware Manufacturers Association (ANSI/BHMA); they receive
product grades for performance benchmarks in each applicable
ANSI/BHMA standard.
An overview of how they are evaluated and certifi ed can be
found in the Hardware Highlights section on buildershardware.
com. They must also meet the criteria outlined in the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design and
other adopted accessibility standards.
NOT ALL DOOR LOCKS ARE ALIKE – CHOOSE WISELY
There are many types of door locks to choose from, including me-
chanical, electrifi ed and electronic. Let’s break down the options:
Mortise locks. Mortise locks require a pocket that is cut into
the door edge to hold the lock body; they are inherently more ro-
bust and secure versus other lock types. While it takes more time
to install due to the door prep, they typically enable the broad-
est range of standard and specialty functions. The mortise design
provides the fl exibility to support the widest array of key cylinder
N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 | S E C U R I T Y T O D A Y