Security hatches

Security hatches are rated access hatches and transfer panels for openings that are not doors: counters, cash offices, server rooms and service risers. Tested to LPS 1175, they close the gaps that a rated door leaves behind. ArxBridge supplies and installs them across the UK. They complete the security range for non-door openings.

• LPS 1175Rated hatches and access panels
• SR2 to SR4Rating options
• Counter and passDocument and goods transfer
• Steel and glazedLeaf materials

What security hatches are

A hatch is a small rated opening: a flap, panel or sliding leaf set into a wall or counter. It lets staff pass documents, cash or goods without opening a full door, and it lets engineers reach services without leaving a weak panel in a rated wall. The hatch, its frame and its locking are tested to LPS 1175 as one assembly.

Hatches matter because attackers read buildings. A rated door next to an unrated access panel is an invitation to go around the door. Specifying the hatch to the same rating as the surrounding construction keeps the line of defence continuous. The LPS 1175 guide explains the rating scale.

Rate the hatch to the wall, not below it. A hatch in an SR3 wall should be SR3. Dropping the hatch rating to save money creates the exact opening the rating was meant to close.

Picking the rating for security hatches

Match the hatch rating to the room it protects. A cash office hatch at SR4 sits naturally with an SR4 door; a stationery store hatch at SR2 matches an SR2 door. Where speech is needed through the hatch, a glazed or baffled transfer keeps the rating while letting staff talk.

How rated hatches are built

The hatch leaf is a steel panel or a glazed unit in a steel frame, sized to the opening. Hinges or slides are rated hardware inside the test scope; the locking is usually a high-security cam or multi-point arrangement worked from the secure side. The frame is anchored into the wall or counter construction with fixings covered by the test.

Transfer hatches add a pass-through: a sliding tray, a rotating drum or a baffled slot that moves items without opening a person-sized gap. Glazed transaction screens use attack-rated glass so staff keep eye contact with the public. Every variant is tested as the assembly it is sold as, including the transfer mechanism.

Security hatches with combined ratings

Where the counter faces a firearms threat, the glazed screen can be specified to a ballistic rating with spall or no-spall glass (see bullet resistant glass). Hatches in secure rooms can add acoustic treatment where confidential conversation passes through the counter; for dedicated eavesdropping protection see sound masking. Fire ratings apply where the hatch sits in a compartment wall.

Each combination is its own tested assembly. State the security rating and any second rating together at quote stage.

Where security hatches are used

Banks and building societies use transfer hatches and glazed screens at counters and in cash offices (see banking and finance). Hospitals use hatches at pharmacy counters, records stores and laboratories (see healthcare). Server rooms and plant areas use access panels so engineers can reach services without a full door opening. Any rated wall with a working opening needs a rated hatch in it.

Cost and lead time factors for security hatches

Size and mechanism drive the cost: a simple hinged access panel is quicker to build than a rotating transfer drum. The rating sets the steel content and the glass thickness on glazed versions. Bespoke sizes take longer than standard modules because each variant needs its own engineering.

Counter integration adds joinery and site coordination: the hatch frame must meet the counter construction cleanly. Finishes range from standard powder coat to stainless for clinical or food environments. Quantities help: a corridor of identical riser panels runs faster than a set of one-offs. No prices are published; the quote follows the schedule.

How to specify security hatches

1. Name the rating. SR2 (B3), SR3 (C5) or SR4 (D10) to LPS 1175, matched to the wall.
2. Define the function. Transfer, transaction, or access: the mechanism follows the use.
3. Fix the size. Structural opening dimensions and the surrounding construction.
4. Set glazing and finish. Solid or glazed, and the coating for the environment.
5. Send the schedule. Positions, quantities and site location complete the quote.