There are at present no formally recognised standards in the UK to confirm the suitability of products that claim to be either anti-barricade and/or anti-ligature. In the absence of a standard for anti-ligature door products the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers has adopted Technical Specification TS001 written by the Door & Hardware Federation as a verification method to confirm the ligature resistant qualities of any product purported to be ‘anti-ligature’. A copy of TS001 can be obtained from the DHF website .

There are 4 levels to the test starting at the lowest level (Level 1) using 4mm ligature wire, through to the highest level (Level 4) using a 0.5mm ligature wire. To pass the test it must not be possible to attach a 5NM weighted wire to the door furniture from any direction – up, down, right, left or perpendicular to surface of the door.

Other than Primera’s new ‘Elephants Trunk’ handle, which has been specifically designed for elderly and infirm applications where ligature risk comes second to grip, we are pleased to announce that all other applicable Primera door products pass the DHF TS001 test at Level 4 – the very highest level!

All Primera brand products are produced at our manufacturing resource in the West Midlands, UK under an ISO 9001 Quality Assurance System. Primera lockcases are CE Marked and have been tested and approved in accordance with both BS EN 1634-3:2004 (Fire Testing for 30 and 60 minute doorsets) and BS EN 12209:2003 (Durability Testing).

The term 'Anti-Ligature' is used to denote that a product has been designed to limit the potential for a ligature to be fastened to it. It does not, in all cases, denote that the product is completely ligature proof. As mentioned above most Primera products have been tested to DHF TS001 (Technical Specification for anti-ligature products written by the Door & Hardware Federation) and passed at the very highest level. Some however, have not due to their design and the prescriptive nature of TS001. Because a product does not fully conform to TS001 does not mean it has no place in a mental health environment. This is something that must be decided by the specifier following a rigorous risk assessment of the application and with due consideration to the nature of patients resident on the ward.

In mental health institutions it is reasonable to assume that the risks associated with self harm takes precedence over access concerns and this includes a good number of the considerations of BS 8300:2009 and Approved Document ‘M’ with regard to door furniture. However the issue of a visual contrast between the handle and the door face, which should be in excess of 15 points, can still be addressed. To aid handle colour selection the Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of our standard finishes have been tested and the results are as follows;

Satin Stainless Steel Plated = 48.32

Satin Chrome Plated = 58.15

We are also able to produce various other plated and powder coated finishes to order. Contact us on 01253 508643 for more details.

Note: The 15 point variation relates to door opening furniture only. Elsewhere the contrast requirement is 30 points.