ASSA ABLOY

Markar Double Swing Hinge: Behavioral Health Hardware

Jillian Sward -

The key to a strong hospital is an amazing staff, and what helps a staff operate the best is hospital organization. When you have security and convenience working on your side, operations are just easier to manage.

Behavioral health facilities have certain challenges that can make everyday patient room checks and other tasks a considerable security risk. This is why anti-barricade door systems are a necessity and require a sophisticated design to mitigate risks.

Double swing door hinges allow a door to move in both directions, but it’s not like the swinging doors of a restaurant’s kitchen. When combined with an emergency release stop, these doors provide safe and controlled entryways for patient rooms.

View Behavioral Health Hinges

There are many benefits to healthcare door systems that utilize double swing hinges and emergency release stops like Markar and Pemko, particularly in behavioral health settings.

Markar Double Swing Door Hinges Explained

Hospitals need special access doors and must adhere to strict building codes, which is why special swing door hinges were created for patient areas. Staff as well as patients can appreciate a door system that simply works and ensures safety.

Anti-barricade door systems utilize double swing doors with continuous pin and barrel designs because of their convenience and privacy. Hospitals, mental health facilities, and assisted living centers all need special doors to maintain safety and control at all times.

Double swing door hinges combine with an emergency release stop so that if a patient suffers an injury and falls, blocking the door, or if something else barricades the door, staff can still open that door from the outside using Pemko Emergency Release Stop (ERS). This allows the door to move in the opposite direction and provide safe access to the patient and room.

Benefits of Markar Double Swing Door Hinges

This is a continuous swing pin and barrel hinge that offers 100-degrees of motion in either direction. For safety, it comes with a hard stop to eliminate finger pinching. Thanks to the Pemko emergency release stop, you also don’t have to worry about hassles or accidents, as you’ll never get caught in the doorway.

Why Hospitals Like ASSA ABLOY Best

It’s important that we answer the challenges of the medical construction community with the best accessories to secure them. Here’s what you’ll find with Markar double swing door hinges:

  • Made from anodized aluminum
  • Easy to install
  • Combines with Emergency Release Stop (ERS)
  • Two styles available:
  • ERS with flush bolt locking mechanism
  • ERSMP with multi-point locking mechanism
  • Swings 100 degrees in both directions
  • Works with high risk areas (Accepted by NY State Office of Mental Health)
  • ADA compliant

Healthcare facilities looking for the ultimate safety and security with their door systems can choose Markar along with lock trim, cased open frame header, and hinge jambs to section off high-risk areas of your facility.

The Basics of Behavioral Health Hinges

Previously, hospitals had various friction points that prevented a timely response and made staying up to code challenging. That's no longer the case with innovative solutions and behavioral health hinges. With double swing doors and emergency release stops, hospital staff can easily and quickly access any room even when it’s been barricaded.

The double swing hinge is perfect for emergency situations when you need doors to move out of your way. This is because they swing in 100 degrees in either direction, allowing the door to open in reverse when necessary. They can also be installed with panic bars to allow quick exits, which is necessary for hospital building codes.

Note: There are two styles for double swing hinges available at ASSA ABLOY, including a pin and barrel hinge from Markar and a gear style hinge from Pemko

Where to Use Double Swing Hinges

Swing door hinges work for all kinds of door systems. For hospital patient rooms, you can choose this option to leave doors partially or completely open in either direction. This provides the optimum design for comfort and convenience, while also ensuring hospital room safety and security.

While behavioral health is the main application for these swing door designs, they are also used in classrooms, assisted living facilities, laboratories, and many other buildings where safety and security is needed.

Pair It With Pemko Emergency Release Stop

When you have a cased opening, the emergency release stop is the perfect hardware to expand traditional operation for emergency situations. You can release this stop to allow the door to swing in reverse, which is beneficial when something or someone is barricaded and preventing the door from opening the traditional way.

Hospitals need this type of fluidity to prevent risks of all kinds, but it’s mainly beneficial for convenient operations and getting around doorway blockages.

Other Accessories for Secure Swing Doors

There are a few pieces of complementary hardware that are necessary with swing doors. Along with the Pemko Emergency Release stop, you may also want to consider the Corbin Russwin BHSS trim. These specialty locks have a ton of functions including:

  • Institutional privacy
  • Storeroom or closet access
  • Remote entry
  • Remote security
  • Classroom access
  • Office entry
  • Office and inner entry locks
  • Storeroom access
  • Dormitory exit
  • Emergency exit

The BHSS trim includes a modern lever design with an escutcheon. It uses a ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 ML2000 series mortise lock for superior safety, and it has over 36 functions, making it a great door lever for electrified options. Best of all, it’s fire-rated and ADA compliant, just like other behavioral health products.

The SARGENT BHW trim is also used with a swing door. This is an 8200 series mortise lock with BHW trim that intuitively locks and provides easy access for staff and patients. It’s designed for superior user safety and securing specialty access rooms.

Installing Markar Swing Doors and Pemko ERS

All of these products come with step-by-step detailed instructions on how to install. Need help? Feel free to contact our customer hotline to get more information or ask questions about your Markar and Pemko products.

Setting Standards for Hospital Door Hardware

ASSA ABLOY creates vital hospital door systems with hardware that’s built to last and make your life easier. These systems exceed competitor quality and adhere to the strictest safety standards, including ADA requirements and national building codes for emergency exits.

Call your ASSA ABLOY behavioral health hinge specialist to discuss hardware needs and how to upgrade your door system with the most modern hinges.