Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) Practice

In healthcare facilities, powered doors generally have specific safety and functionality requirements to ensure they meet both operational and safety standards. While having latching hardware is often seen as beneficial for security and privacy, powered doors are not universally required to have latching hardware provided they meet certain operational parameters defined by the facility's overall safety plan and building codes.

The requirement that powered doors are not mandated to have latching hardware, as long as they function safely and comply with regulations, reflects a balance between the need for accessibility and the operational needs of healthcare environments. The intentions here are to maintain ease of access for individuals, including those with disabilities, while ensuring that the doors still fulfill their primary roles in patient care and infection control.

In addition, powered doors must comply with codes that may include the necessity for doors to close automatically for fire safety and to manage airflow in sensitive areas. However, operational guidelines may provide flexibility on attachment mechanisms like latching hardware.

Understanding the distinction that powered doors can operate without latching hardware under certain conditions helps clarify why it's essential to know not just the physical specifications, but also the broader operational guidelines within healthcare facilities.