Unsafe doors at Sheffield's Winter Garden to be replaced over amputation fears

The glass greenhouse in the city centre currently has four sets of automatic entrance door openings, three to walk-in and one set of wider and higher double doors for vehicles to access via a ramp.

Sheffield Council said the original doors are more than 20-years-old and the number of service call outs to fix faults has increased to a point where they need to be replaced.

In a report, officers say: “An examination accompanied by ironmongery experts produced the problems

“At the point of original installation, they obviously conformed to regulations, but in line with current standards they have now become non-compliant on several levels.

“On the hinge side of each door finger traps are evident as the glass door panel closes tight to the frame.

“There are three sets of door openings which have been identified by the engineers as having a scissor action on closing where two adjacent door sets open and close in unison, creating a potential for amputation of small fingers.

“The door mechanisms are generally old and some of the automated opening/closing actions are defective.

“The photo-electric safety sensors act as a look-out to prevent the doors closing on people passing through, they are defective on several locations and require replacement.”

The council will completely replace all four sets of automatic door openings.

A telescopic sliding door option is recommended due to it being faster with fewer moving parts to maintain or replace.

The £32,500 replacement should be finished in early 2021 and would be carried out in phases overnight to allow continual access to the Winter Garden.

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