The two competing obligations
An office front door must be hard for unauthorised people to open, easy for authorised people (including wheelchair users, people with limited grip strength, parents with prams, delivery people with packages) to open. These can feel like opposites; they are not.
The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments to be made to accommodate disabled users. BS 8300 (Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment) sets out the technical thresholds — including opening forces, threshold heights, door widths and operating times. Most modern commercial entrances meet these by default, but maintenance work and minor repairs can quietly compromise compliance over time.
Opening force: the 22N threshold
BS 8300 specifies that the force required to open an accessible door should not exceed 22 newtons (N) — roughly the force needed to lift a 2.2 kg weight. Many commercial doors are set well above this because the closer is tightened to defeat being held open, defeat draughts, or compensate for a worn pivot.
A door requiring 35–45N to open passes most users but excludes wheelchair users and people with reduced grip strength. A simple closer adjustment usually brings the force back to compliance — five minutes of engineer time.
Where the closer cannot be adjusted to under 22N without compromising the door’s self-close performance, an electromagnetic hold-open device or a power-assisted operator is the next step. Power-assist adds £600–£1,500 to the installation but resolves the security/accessibility conflict cleanly.
Threshold heights and clear widths
BS 8300 specifies maximum threshold height (typically 15 mm with a chamfered edge) and minimum clear opening width (typically 800mm minimum, 1000mm preferred). Most modern doors meet these from installation; refurbishment work occasionally creates compliance issues by adding sealing strips, weather threshold seals, or replacement frames with deeper sills.
When commissioning any work that touches the threshold or frame, ask the engineer to confirm BS 8300 compliance after the work. The check takes a minute; the cost of remediation if compliance is lost is much higher.
Automatic doors: accessibility-by-default
For high-traffic office entrances, automatic sliding or swinging doors are the cleanest solution. They eliminate the opening force question entirely. Compliance comes from BS EN 16005 (safety force testing) plus BS 8300 (opening times — the door must stay open long enough for slow-moving users).
A common compliance failure on older automatic doors: the dwell time (how long the door stays open) is set short to limit heat loss, and a slower-moving user cannot make it through before the door starts closing. This triggers the safety system, the door reverses, the user tries again, the cycle repeats.
Fix is a controller setting — extend the dwell time to 4–5 seconds minimum, or fit a presence sensor that holds the door open while anyone is in the threshold.
Security upgrades that do not compromise accessibility
Several security improvements add no accessibility cost:
- Hookbolt or multi-point lock — increases force-entry resistance, no impact on opening force.
- Anti-thrust plate — stops latch manipulation, invisible to normal users.
- Anti-snap cylinder — cylinder upgrade, no functional difference for normal users.
- Reinforced strike plate — frame-side upgrade, no impact on opening force or width.
- Access control with magnetic release — door auto-opens when valid credential is presented, no need for user to apply opening force at all.
Where security and accessibility genuinely conflict
Some choices require trade-off. A heavy security door (LPS 1175 SR3+) typically has heavier closer force than a standard door. A door fitted with weather seals and double-rebated for sealing has more friction. A door with multi-point locking takes more effort to open and close fully.
In these cases, the right answer is usually to add power assistance: the security and weather spec remains, the opening force is supplied by a motor on user request. A power-assist add-on to an existing manual door is typically £800–£1,800 fitted.
Annual compliance check
An annual entrance door audit covers: opening force measurement (must be 22N or less for accessible doors), automatic door dwell time and force test, threshold height and chamfer condition, clear opening width, handle and lock accessibility (height, force, type), signage condition and contrast.
A maintenance contract typically includes this check as part of the annual visit, with documented evidence retained for Equality Act compliance defence and disability access auditor reviews.