Powder Coatings Ltd
We are experts in the application of Warm to Touch Powder Coating that meets current Building Regulations Document K reference 1.36E relating to Handrails and Associated parts.
215 Tyburn Road, Erdington, Birmingham B24 8NB
(800 Yards from Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti Junction)
The phrase ‘Warm to Touch’ can at first sight appear confusing.
What does it mean? The dictionary meaning of warm is; ‘of or at a comfortably high temperature’ So quite obviously you cannot have Powder Coating that is warm in the truest sense.
The phrase Warm to Touch has become the accepted term to describe the requirements of The Building Regulation Document K Reference 1.36E Page 15.
This states the following.
In areas that are subject to extreme hot or cold temperatures handrails and door handles do not become excessively Hot or Cold to Touch. This requirement is backed up by British Standard 8300 section 5.10.5.
In simple terms handrails and associated fixtures that are subject to extremes of temperature should not ‘Feel’ hot or cold when touched. The keyword here is Feel.
In the United Kingdom the most likely situation will be Cold temperatures. If handrails ‘Feel’ cold when touched, then users are more likely to resist using them which can result in falls and slips that may cause injury.
What happens to your body when you touch a cold surface?
Thermal Shock results in your skin feeling cold due to the heat loss when you place your hand onto a cold surface.
Your body responds to this shock by constricting the nerve endings in your hand causing your brain to tell the blood vessels to contract giving the person the sensation of Cold and the likelihood that they will withdraw their hand from the Handrail resulting in an increased risk of slips or falls.
This brings us to Basic Physics and the one term to remember;
Thermal Conductivity. (TC)
There is a formula for this but for the purposes of this explanation it is not important.
Basically, Thermal Conductivity is the number of Watts of heat conducted away from the cold surface to the warmer surface. (or vice versa )
The TC of materials used to make handrails and associated parts varies.
Steel has a high TC rating of 45 meaning that when you touch a steel handrail that is cold you immediately feel the sensation of cold as the thermal shock transmits the cold sensation to your hand. Mild steel handrails transfer the sensation of cold to a user’s hand very quickly and in cold situations this can result in a reluctance to use the safety of the handrail when using staircases and result in accidents.
Other materials have varying Thermal Conductivity.
Stainless Steel has a TC rating of 14.4
Timber has a TC rating of only 0.17 at is transmits the cold sensation very slowly to your hand.
Warm to Touch Powder Coatings applied onto steel or aluminum handrails have a very low TC Rating of below 0.10. in simple terms 450 times less that Mild Steel. Warm to touch Powder Coatings reduce the TC Rating by insulating the surface and slowing down the Thermal Shock. Slowing down the transference of the cold surface to the warm hand.
Established over 50 years — Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti — ISO 9001 Approved quality systems - Established over 50 years — Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti - ISO 9001 Approved quality systems — Established over 50 years - Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti — Established over 50 years - Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti — ISO 9001 Approved quality systems - Established over 50 years — Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti - ISO 9001 Approved quality systems — Established over 50 years - Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti — ISO 9001 Approved quality systems - Established over 50 years — Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti - ISO 9001 Approved quality systems — Established over 50 years - Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti — ISO 9001 Approved quality systems - Established over 50 years — Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti - ISO 9001 Approved quality systems — Established over 50 years - Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti — ISO 9001 Approved quality systems - Established over 50 years — Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti - ISO 9001 Approved quality systems — Established over 50 years - Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti — ISO 9001 Approved quality systems - Established over 50 years — Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti - ISO 9001 Approved quality systems — Established over 50 years - Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti — ISO 9001 Approved quality systems - Established over 50 years — Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti - ISO 9001 Approved quality systems — Established over 50 years - Central location, Junction 6 M6 Spaghetti — ISO 9001 Approved quality systems - Established over 50 years
Address
215 Tyburn Road, Erdington,
B'ham B24 8NB See Location
Hours
Mon to Thurs 7am till 4pm
Fri 7am till Midday
Email & Web
roger@powder-coatings.co.uk
www.powder-coatings.co.uk
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