Our steel hatch is manufactured by a Utah steel fabricator. The hatch features internal hinges, self-rescue capabilities, and the lift assist is shock dampened to allow the door to close in a controlled manner. This provides safety from injury while closing the hatch. The user merely pulls the hatch closed with a short length of rope from a safe distance down the stairway. The inside dimensions of the hatch are 31 in x 31 in. The door is weather proof and vandal resistant. A closed cell foam gasket makes an effective seal against biological aerosols and fallout. The internal latch will resist 3 tons of lifting force.

When closed, the hatch presents a very low drag to a blast shock wave and the accompanying debris. Should the door become difficult to open due to debris resting on the door, a brace may be installed on the frame gussets and with the assistance of a 20 ton hydraulic jack, the door can be opened.

The horizontal hatch avoids the problems associated with vertical blast doors such as reflected overpressure, and flying missile damage. Innocuous objects can be placed over the horizontal hatch for concealment (i.e. dog house, wishing well, storage shed).