An automatic door is powered machinery that the public walks through all day — children, seniors, wheelchairs, delivery carts. The industry body that governs its safety is AAADM, the American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers, which certifies the technicians who inspect these systems and publishes the safety practices behind them.
What AAADM actually recommends
Two habits, two frequencies. Daily: the owner or staff performs a short visual safety check — the door opens and closes smoothly, sensors react, nothing obstructs the path. AAADM publishes simple daily-check guidance for owners, and it takes about a minute. Annually: the industry recommendation is an inspection by an AAADM-certified inspector, who verifies the system against the applicable ANSI/BHMA safety standards — A156.10 for full-power pedestrian doors, A156.19 for low-energy operators (the push-button style).
What a certified inspection covers
- Activation and presence sensors — detection zones sized and aimed correctly, so the door sees a person standing in it, not just one walking at it.
- Opening and closing speeds and forces, measured against the standard — the difference between a door that yields and one that knocks someone down.
- Safety signage (the familiar decals are actually specified items), guide rails, and finger guards.
- Mechanical condition: tracks, rollers, belts, pivots, and the operator itself.
- Documentation. You receive a dated record that a certified inspector verified the door — the paper that matters after an incident.
The liability half of the story
When someone is struck or caught by a door, the first questions are when it was last inspected and by whom. A dated inspection by an AAADM-certified technician is the industry-standard demonstration of due care; its absence is the plaintiff's opening argument. Annual inspections are inexpensive against that backdrop — and doors that get inspected also simply break down less, because worn parts get flagged early.
ADA and your entrance
Accessible entrances are an ADA obligation, and automatic doors are the most common way businesses meet it. An automatic door that's broken, too slow, or forceful isn't just a maintenance item — it's your accessible entrance not working. Low-energy operators in particular have their own standard (A156.19) with specific speed and force requirements an inspector verifies.
What we do
Commercial Service Company's technicians are AAADM-certified and inspect, service, and repair all major brands — Horton, Stanley Access, ASSA ABLOY, Besam, Nabco, Record, Dorma, Gyro Tech — across central Arkansas, backed by fifty years of commercial service. Put your entrance on an annual inspection schedule at 501-548-2374, and get the daily one-minute check into your opening routine this week.
Frequently asked questions
Is an annual automatic door inspection legally required?
The annual certified inspection is the industry-standard recommendation from AAADM rather than a universal statute, but the ANSI/BHMA standards it verifies are what codes, insurers, and courts reference. The dated inspection record is your demonstration of due care.
What is the daily safety check for automatic doors?
A one-minute owner check AAADM recommends: watch the door cycle, confirm smooth motion and correct sensor response, and check the path is clear. If anything fails, take the door out of automatic operation and call for service.
What's the difference between A156.10 and A156.19?
A156.10 covers full-power automatic pedestrian doors (typical supermarket sliders); A156.19 covers low-energy operators — the slower push-button doors. Each sets its own speed, force, and safety requirements, and each is verified in a certified inspection.