Yes. In a French workplace, an automatic or semi-automatic sectional door must be maintained and checked at least every six months and after any failure. Every visit or repair is entered in its maintenance log. To arrange checks in Paris and Île-de-France, start with the workplace maintenance file and the manufacturer's instructions.
An industrial sectional door opens and closes a warehouse, loading bay or workshop throughout the day. Its torsion springs, cables and operator work on every cycle. A door weighing several hundred kilograms can put forklift drivers and pedestrians at risk if it goes out of adjustment. French workplace rules therefore require maintenance. Here is what those rules mean for inspection intervals, maintenance records and the checks made during a service visit.
Is industrial sectional door maintenance a legal requirement?
Yes, when the door is installed in a workplace in France. Article R4224-12 of the French Labour Code requires doors and gates to be maintained and checked regularly. Where a falling door could endanger workers because of its size, weight or fixings, the inspection intervals and work carried out must be entered in the workplace maintenance file required by Article R4224-17. Industrial sectional doors fall within this scope.
For automatic doors, Article R4224-13 also requires operation without risk of injury to workers and refers to a ministerial order for maintenance and inspection requirements. This is the French order of 21 December 1993 on automatic and semi-automatic doors and gates in workplaces. Article 9 applies to automatic and semi-automatic industrial sectional doors in workplaces, whether they serve a warehouse, loading bay, staff car park or workshop, in Île-de-France or elsewhere in France.
- Who is responsible: the employer operating the premises, for each automatic or semi-automatic door or gate in the workplace.
- What is required: periodic maintenance and inspections, plus an inspection after any failure under Article 9.
- What must be kept on site: an up to date maintenance log, included in the workplace maintenance file.
- Safety requirements depend on the door and installation: Articles 2 to 4 cover new installations, while Articles 5 to 7 cover existing installations.
European standard EN 13241, cited by manufacturers, covers the door when it is placed on the market. The French order of 1993 covers its use. A door that complies when delivered needs maintenance to remain safe.
How often must an automatic door be inspected?
Article 9 sets a minimum interval of one visit every six months, adjusted to how often the door or gate is used and its type. Two visits a year are a minimum rather than a schedule that suits every site. A loading bay door operating continuously at a logistics site needs more frequent attention than a workshop door opened twice a day.
The same article requires an inspection after any failure. A failed operator, a cable off its drum or a forklift impact calls for a check before the door goes back into service, even if the last visit was recent. An industrial sectional door emergency repair also ends with an entry in the maintenance log.
Novoferm describes testing over 33,000 cycles. That test result does not set the service life of your door or its maintenance schedule.
Maintenance contract or in house technicians: who can service the door?
Article 9 allows two routes. Qualified, specialist company technicians who have been specifically trained for this task may follow written methods and procedures. Alternatively, an external provider may carry out the work under a written contract. In both cases, the written document or maintenance contract lists the planned operations, including at least guide components such as tracks and rollers, joints such as hinges and pivots, fixings, balancing systems and safety equipment.
A sectional door maintenance contract is therefore not compulsory in itself. Maintenance is compulsory, with a written record and competent people to carry it out. Our technicians hold electrical authorisation and work on Hörmann, Novoferm, Dynaco, La Toulousaine, Assa Abloy, Safir and BMP France doors and AFCA, GFA, NICE and Somfy operators through our industrial sectional door maintenance service in Paris and Île-de-France.
What should an automatic door maintenance log contain?
Every intervention, including periodic visits, other work and emergency repairs, is entered in a maintenance log. Each entry states the nature of the work, its date and the name of the person or company responsible. The maintenance contract or internal procedures and the log form part of the workplace maintenance file that Article R4224-17 requires the employer to keep.
Maintenance log, service record or maintenance register: providers use different names, but the expected information is the same. A useful log gives a labour inspector or insurance assessor a clear account of the components checked, adjustments, replaced parts, faults and follow up actions. We provide a written report after every visit and enter the work in the door maintenance log.
What does an industrial sectional door maintenance visit check?
The visit follows the categories in the order: guides, joints, fixings, balancing and safety equipment. It starts with the door stopped and isolated, continues with operating cycle tests and ends with checks of the safety devices and emergency operation. These are the components checked and the warning signs to watch for between visits:
| Component | What the technician checks | Warning signs between visits |
|---|---|---|
| Panels and seals | What the technician checksDoor sections, joints, bottom seal and perimeter seals | Warning signs between visitsLight visible with the door closed, torn bottom seal or dented panel |
| Tracks, rollers and hinges | What the technician checksTrack alignment and fixings, roller wear and hinge play | Warning signs between visitsSqueaking, jerky movement, rubbing or sticking in the track curve |
| Torsion springs, cables and drums | What the technician checksDoor balance, cable winding, spring wear and cracks | Warning signs between visitsDoor feels heavy by hand, slack or frayed cable, or door drops |
| Operator, control unit and limit switches | What the technician checksDrive system, travel limit settings and control board | Warning signs between visitsDoor stops above the floor, strains at the end of travel or does not respond to the button |
| Photocells, safety edge and warning light | What the technician checksObstacle reversal, photocell cleanliness and alignment, and warning signals | Warning signs between visitsDoor no longer reverses, warning light is off or photocell is misaligned |
| Emergency operation and fixings | What the technician checksEmergency chain or release test, and tightness of anchors and brackets | Warning signs between visitsChain is stuck or missing, bracket moves or fixing is loose |
On a site with several doors, the door being checked is taken out of use while the other loading bays continue operating. Accessible adjustments are made on site. A worn seal, bearing, hinge, roller, capacitor or control board is noted in the report and quoted separately before industrial sectional door repairs.
What your team can watch between visits, and what they must never adjust
Between visits, forklift drivers and the site manager are often the first to notice a change. Simple observations, with the door stopped and without tools, can prompt a check before a breakdown.
- Inspect the bottom seal and panels after any forklift impact and report deformation.
- Listen to the door: a new squeak, a bang or slower upward travel can be an early sign of failure.
- Report faulty warning signals or safety devices without attempting to bypass them.
- If dust has built up, wipe the photocells with a dry cloth while the door is stopped.
- Know where the emergency operating chain is and how to use it with the power disconnected, following the manufacturer's instructions.
Preparing for a statutory maintenance visit
From our base in Paris 11e, we schedule industrial sectional door maintenance across the 8 Île-de-France departments (75, 77, 78, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95), around your hours and site traffic. Customers with several doors or sites keep one contact and receive one invoice. We work on doors up to 6 metres wide, drawing on 24 years of combined experience in electrical work, metalwork and locksmithing. Have the maintenance log, written methods and procedures or maintenance contract, and manufacturer instructions ready so the checks can be adapted to your door and its use.
Wear parts can be replaced without replacing the whole door: seals and dock seals, bearings and bearing supports, individual hinges, capacitors or AFCA, GFA, NICE or Somfy control boards, ceiling operator belts and carriages, protective posts, alarm contacts and wheel chocks. Travel included, diagnosis free if the work is accepted, repairs guaranteed for 2 years on parts and labour, no night or weekend surcharge. Between visits, our industrial sectional door emergency repair service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with an announced arrival within 20 minutes in Paris and Île-de-France.
For services by area, see industrial sectional doors in Île-de-France and industrial sectional doors in Paris. These area guides are in French. A manual door can be fitted with powered operation and the safety devices required by the order: industrial sectional door automation.
