Are Your Shutters Compliant?
It’s a legal requirement that your doors and shutters are properly installed, regularly serviced, and meet roller shutter safety standards. Failing to do so can mean you’re breaking UK law, risking safety, liability, insurance, and even facing enforcement from bodies like the Health & Safety Executive.
In this blog we will discuss the UK safety standards, the law, and what “compliance” really means, so that you can make sure your shutters are safe and legal.
Why Compliance Matters
Compliance isn’t just about ticking a box, it protects you financially, legally and operationally. By selecting certified products, you’re making sure your premises meet regulations and reassuring all your stakeholders that you take both safety and security seriously.
Non-compliance can lead to serious legal and financial consequences. For example, if someone is injured due to a faulty shutter or poor maintenance, the building or facility manager will be prosecuted under UK health and safety law.
In addition, insurance cover is often invalidated if equipment has not been properly maintained or certified, which has left businesses to face costly claims.
Enforcement bodies such as the HSE or local fire authorities also have the power to give out fines, improvement notices, or even require shutters to be repaired or replaced immediately. Besides the legal and financial risks, you have a clear moral responsibility: Protecting the safety and well-being of people.
Understand Roller Shutters Safety Regulations
Under UK law, roller shutters are classified as machinery, which means they have strict regulations that are designed to protect anyone who uses or goes near them. The big four pieces of legislation for roller shutters are:
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
This law places a duty on employers, building owners, and operators to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of employees and anyone else who could be affected by their activities. If a roller shutter is unsafe or poorly maintained, this duty is breached.
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
This law requires all workplace equipment (including doors and shutters) to be maintained in an efficient state, in good working order, and in good repair. It also covers safe access to emergency exits, if shutters are part of these routes.
PUWER 1998
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) apply to all equipment at work, requiring shutters to be safe for use, maintained in a safe condition, inspected regularly, and operated only by trained/competent persons.
Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008
New shutters placed on the market must be designed and built to meet strict safety requirements, fitted with necessary safety features (including anti-fall devices, safety brakes, photocells, emergency stops, and more). Compliant shutters must also carry appropriate conformity markings. Look out for CE (this is for products placed on the market before BREXIT), or UKCA (for those placed after), and be supplied with a formal Declaration of Conformity along with clear instructions for safe installation, operation, and maintenance.
What are The UK Standards?
LPS 1175 (Loss Prevention Standard)
LPS 1175 is one of the most widely recognised security certifications for physical protection products. It provides an objective, independent assessment of how well shutters, doors, and other barriers can withstand forced entry. The standard uses a series of ratings, SR1 through SR8, which indicate the level of resistance offered, essentially how long the product can endure a break-in attempt using increasingly powerful sets of tools. Higher ratings correspond to greater resistance and are often a requirement from insurers, particularly for premises considered to be at higher risk.
PAS 24
Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 24 is the UK’s core security standard for doors, setting out the minimum performance requirements for resisting opportunistic forced entry. Developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI), it is a rigorous pass/fail certification rather than a graded scale, making sure products either meet the security threshold or don’t. PAS 24 is widely recognised by police forces through initiatives like Secured by Design, endorsed by insurers, and is increasingly becoming a mandatory requirement for new-build properties to demonstrate compliance with building security standards.
Secured by Design (SBD)
SBD is a crime prevention initiative and an official security standard that accredits products proven to deter and reduce burglary and theft. Products with SBD accreditation mean they have undergone rigorous testing and meet a nationally recognised standard that helps prevent crime.
UKCA / EN 13241
All new roller shutters must carry the UKCA mark (or CE if pre-Brexit) to show they meet UK safety regulations. Powered shutters must also come with a Declaration of Conformity and clear user instructions. At the same time, shutters must comply with EN 13241, the European standard for industrial and commercial doors. This sets out requirements for safe operation, strength, performance, and forms the technical basis for UKCA marking. In simple terms: If your shutter isn’t UKCA-marked and tested to EN 13241, it isn’t legally compliant.
Whether it’s installation, certification, or ongoing maintenance, making sure your shutters meet legal and safety obligations is essential. Don’t wait until a fault or inspection highlights a problem. Get your shutters checked today by Blount Shutters and get peace of mind that your shutters are fully compliant, safe, and ready to protect what matters most today.
