Understanding The Principles Of Blast Doors

How Do Blast Doors Work? 

Unlike standard doors, blast doors are constructed using reinforced materials such as high-strength reinforced steel and composite alloys to withstand and mitigate the impact of explosions in order to protect people, infrastructure, and assets from blast waves, debris, and extreme pressure changes. The doors contain many components such as blast resistant glass, seals and other components which contribute towards the mitigation of any blast attack. 

Blast Doors Vs Normal Doors (include image of regular door like louvre and image of blast door) 

Normal doors that are designed for commercial use are only designed to be sturdy and to resist forced entry. They are normally constructed from wood, aluminium or light steel without any additional reinforcements. Regular doors only contain basic seals, basic hinges, and standard glass which lack blast and fire resistant features. 

On the other hand blast doors are designed to resist forced entry and explosions which is achieved by being made from reinforced steel while including blast resistant seals and hinges which don’t allow the transfer of smoke, fire or debris. They are also designed and manufactured to pass blast testing in testing facilities. 

H3How Do I Know If I Need Blast Doors? 

Understanding whether you need blast-resistant doors can be complex however the best approach is to review your industry regulations that apply to your specific sector and type of premises. By carefully assessing these regulations, you can determine if installing blast doors is necessary. The Government website offers valuable insights into the rules and requirements for various industries which can help you understand if you are required to install blast doors. 

Where Should You Install Blast Doors? 

Blast doors can be installed in a range of different types of buildings and industrial settings however most of our clients install our bespoke blast-resistant doors in the sectors below, 

Military Buildings 

Military buildings often contain high-end equipment and are full of working service people who could unfortunately become a target for a politically motivated terrorist attack. Installing blast-resistant doors can prevent armed intruders from breaching their way into premises or detonating explosions in order to harm the military personnel within a facility. Military facilities also contain explosive materials and weapons which in the event of an unexpected or accidental detonation, could lead to exploding within a building and causing vast amounts of damage. Blast doors can therefore prevent explosions within a building from exploding throughout and then causing more damage, serious injuries and death. 

Petrochemical Facilities 

Petrochemical facilities contain lots of hazardous materials which is extremely explosive and flammable. In certain applications, to meet DSEAR and COMAH regulations, some facilities

must install blast doors in order to prevent an explosion from travelling throughout a building in the event of an unfortunate blast and chemical mix/reaction. 

High-End Retail 

With high-value retail crime rates at an all-time high in the UK and 25% up from the previous year, it is essential that shops which contain high-value products such as high-end watches, clothing, jewellery and artwork are properly secure from potential thieves who may try and enter the building through blast attack. 

Logistics Hubs 

Logistics hubs such as airports, large bus stations and commercial supply chain centres are often subject to large volumes of people passing through as well as being subject to transporting high-value items. These factors make them a probable target towards terrorists and thieves. Installing blast doors in logistics hubs is a great idea as it will ensure that many people and valuable goods are all protected. 

Data Centres 

Data centres are normally home to large servers and infrastructure which are extremely expensive and are important to many different industries such as national communication, financial institutions, logistics sectors and security sectors. Blast doors can significantly reduce the risk that the vast servers are damaged in the event of an attack or sabotage. 

Financial Institutions 

Financial institutions are one of the most important institutions in our country and therefore are subject to potential attacks. Attackers may try to attack a financial institution to cause operational disruption, damage goods, hurt certain people or steal valuable assets. Installing blast doors significantly reduces the risks that they succeed which protects your building, infrastructure and workers. 

High-Security Storage centres 

High security storage centres contain many valuable items such as rare minerals, artwork, luxury goods, classic cars and expensive equipment which often results in them being subject to arson, terror attacks or targeted thefts. Blast doors can therefore prevent valuable goods from being damaged or stolen. 

The Benefits Of Installing Blast Doors 

• Protect people from serious injury and death 
• Protect expensive infrastructure from being damaged and needing expensive repairs
• Ensure the safety of valuable items, belongings and assets 
• Comply with industry standard laws 
• Prevent buildings from being subject to further damage 

How Do We Manufacture Our Blast Doors? (image of manufacturing door)

Our blast resistant door solutions are manufactured using multiple layers of reinforced steel combined with blast resistant glass to provide a full blast resistant door solution. Hinges are also designed to withstand blast shocks which ensures that the door system remains in place and sturdy during the event of a blast attack. Whilst the doors are being created, special seals are added throughout the structure to ensure that fire, smoke and debris doesnt travel through the small gaps in the door structure. Additional specifications can also

be added to the design such as fireproofing or ballistic resistance which increases the security standards of the final door solution. 

What Happens If We Don’t Install Blast Doors? 

Failing to install blast doors can lead to your organisation potentially being penalised by regulatory boards for not complying with the rules around the safety and security of your premises, the rules around containing dangerous goods or the rules around preventing the spread of fire and debris in the event of an explosion. Failing to install blast doors can also lead to your people and infrastructure being severely impacted in the event of a blast attack, causing injury and death to people while leaving you with expensive repairs to your infrastructure. 

Our High Levels Of Testing Specification