It’s a common question. After all, there are quite a few different options — push pads, glass bolts, turn knobs, etc. — and as you may suspect, there are hidden rules about it. What can you have, where, and who says so?
Further reading: How Many Fire Exits Are Required in a Building?
In the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO)*, article 14 covers “Emergency Routes and Exits,” and states that, “In the event of danger, it must be possible for persons to evacuate the premises as quickly and safely as possible”.
Depending on circumstances, this normally involves emergency doors opening in the direction of escape, no sliding or revolving doors used as emergency exits, and emergency doors not being locked or fastened in a manner that they cannot be easily and immediately opened.
The RRO only applies to England and Wales, although other regions of the UK have different legislation with a similar outcome.
Official guidance to the RRO (from the Communities and Local Government department) recommends that that all doors on escape routes should open in the direction of escape, but states that this is particularly important if more than 60 people use them or they provide an exit from a high fire risk area.
Security fittings on fire doors should be thought of as a hierarchy:
In buildings used by the general public, the usual hardware on final exits is a horizontal push pad or bar, unless the door is completely free-moving, such as the front door (once unlocked).
For this category of occupant, doors need to be operated easily and obviously. If there are more than 60 persons likely to use an exit, and that group includes those unfamiliar with the building, a degree of panic must be assumed. In this case, panic bars are essential. These fittings are long horizontal bars or pads which operate by body pressure. The relevant standard is BS EN 1125 — “Panic exit devices operated by a horizontal bar”.
There’s an alternative type of a smaller push pad or lever, which seems to be mistakenly put onto doors for use by the public. These “emergency exit devices” conform to BS EN 179 instead, and are generally not suitable as more force is needed to operate them, i.e. there needs to be a deliberate action, not just pressure against the device. These may be selected for doors to be used by staff, the benefit being that along with higher operating forces, there is the opportunity for higher security levels.
Both BS EN 1125 and BS EN 179 include specific tests depending on whether the device is intended for single or double door use. One approved for single door application might not work effectively on double doors, so it’s important that the one used is suitable for the circumstances.
BS9999:2008, “Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings,” gives further advice on the subject of locking. It states that in general, doors on escape routes shouldn’t be fitted with locks, latches, or bolts unless these are simple fastening, which can readily be operated. The operation of the fastenings should be “readily apparent without the use of a key and without having to manipulate more than one mechanism.”
Although it’s preferable not to fit any secondary locking devices to fire exits, it’s accepted that security needs may make it a necessity.
Where this is the case, the old glass box with the key in it is generally discouraged, even where the door is for use by a small number of staff. If you feel it’s the only way, and can be justified in the risk assessment, make sure there’s a process for regularly checking that the key is present.
A simple step up from this is to fit a lock that needs a key on the outside, but which is operated on the inside of the door by simply turning a knob. These can then be labelled “turn to exit,” if instructions are needed.
Glass bolts can be useful for discouraging casual use of a route — where a door passes through the premises of an adjoining occupier. To operate these, the glass tube is smashed with a hammer, allowing a bolt to be slid across. Staff will need training to understand how to use these, and encouragement to use the exits even if they think it’s a drill or false alarm. Bear in mind that this shouldn’t be fitted as an additional device — a person escaping through the door should not have to “manipulate more than one mechanism.” In general, they tend to be plagued by abuse, so they have limited application.
Electromechanical and electromagnetic locks can be fitted, which can be released manually or automatically. However, these should be set up to be overridden by the operation of a push bar, loss of power, and/or the activation of the fire warning or detection system.
Often normal entry/exit doors will serve as final exits in non-domestic premises covered by the (RRO) Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, such as offices, shops, pubs and common areas of flats and HMO’s (Houses in Multiple Occupation) and in the premises covered by the Building Regulations. In the UK they are mostly fitted with a letterplate for mail deliveries. Fire started in the exit door area (for example, as it happens in case of letter box arson) would effectively cut off the main escape route from the premises. For these reasons in the premises covered by the RRO… Read more »
Interesting article, thanks. I am a security professional but regularly interface with safety teams as I want to lock everything and they want to keep everything open! Apologies for the flippant remark, obviously there is always a sensible middle ground where safety & security can join hands and skip down the road blissfully happy! I do have a question that I am hoping an expert on this site can assist me with and let me know if there is any legislation covering it? I have had events where a fire alarm has been deliberatelyactivated to clear the building so… Read more »
Great additional advice, thankyou so much for that. The access provided by a letterbox is a great point that people certainly should be thinking about, so thanks for this. Would it be worth, if in doubt, using an external mailbox instead?
Great question, Tony, hopefully we can get some answers for you. The differing opinions make sense given the generally vague legislation around things like this. I would have thought, from my limited knowledge, that as long as people are still able to escape (by pushing the bar) then you’d be in the right. But that’s just my feeling, I’m no expert.
Would it solve the problem if the letterplate is replaced by the USA or European-style external mailbox? The answer to your question is taken from http://www.secureletterbox.com. Although original entrance/exit doors often need upgrading for compliance with the legislation, eliminating the letterplate would be inappropriate in most cases. It may mean replacing the whole door, nuisance with getting to mail, letting warm air out through the open door, frustration with the mailbox locks and keys that tend to get lost and there is a certain heritage issue here: the letterplate is almost universal in the UK and it conforms… Read more »
Many years ago, I used a steel box behind the letter box with an inbuilt fire extinguisher! These days its either redirected post to an internal postroom or external wall mounted letter box. Although most post these days seems to be junk with electronic communications the preferred media.
Yes, I’m certain you’re right about the legacy issues, but just interested regardless. Thanks for sharing.
True that the dwindling amount of post has changed things, Tony. I probably get about 1 letter a week here, compared to about 500 emails.
Absolutely, but you will find that the letterplates are nearly universal and they largely remain in the doors. The steel boxes behind the letter box with (or without) an inbuilt fire extinguisher, which you have mentioned, are still around but they are considered outdated now since they essentially rely on containing the hazards including flammable liquids. According to the RRO and good engineering practice priority should always be given to eliminating hazards, especially flammable and highly flammable liquids. These outdated products may cope with a piece of burning paper. But beware of the dark side: this “indicative‟ or “small… Read more »
Fire fighters have cited overzealous guards who told people during a fire that they are not allowed to use emergency exits. The practice is actually quite common in the absence of fires, as well. Some skyscrapers have stairwells with standard emergency exit signs on each door, which then lock upon closing. Users of these stairwells are trapped, whether they know or do not know that the only door that opens from the inside is the one on the ground floor.
You can get CCTV on the fire exit doors that can be programmed to alarm if it sees someone walking the wrong way in the event of a fire activation, or basic door alarms that can be set up to detect directional traffic.
Dear all, I assume that these replies with respect to the securing of Emergency or Panic escapee door sets has been drafted prior to the 1st of July 2013, when there was a major step change in the prevailing legislation applicable to doors that we in the UK had traditionally described as Fire Exits. Fire exits by definition provide escape in the event of fire but equally are often confused with Fire doors which can be escape doors, escape doors are in often not fire rated particularly when they are external door sets. The prevailing legislation now applicable… Read more »
@efra this is really interesting. Would you be interested in writing this up as a separate article for us? Drop me an email on editors@IFSEC Insider.com perhaps?
Didn’t they delay the CPR slightly after it came into force to give people another couple of months to get compliant, or did I make that up?
Really? That sounds extraordinary. Is this something you’ve seen?
Nice suggestion, using some video analytics to monitor the person flow in an emergency.
Dear Rob,
I have heard this mentioned as well but as far as I am aware this is not the case the law is valid from the 1st of July 2013, and applies to all products, manufactured on or after that date. The relaxation may have been rumored because the drafted content did state that any goods already in the supply chain were exempt provided that you could prove that they were manufactured before the 1st of July 2013 allowing supplies to clear any existing stock. I hope that this clarifies the situation.
200 people in one room how many doors needed
If 200 people work in one room
How many doors need? ??
Hello, I have a door (door A) on the ground floor fire escape corridor of a retail shop. This door (door A) is used by office staff to come in and out to access the second floor. On the first floor is another part of the shop. My client is worried that shoplifters can enter the corridor ‘to go upstairs’ but just run out of the fire escape. Is there a device that can be fitted to a door that keeps a door lock (which can be opened by a fob or key pad for office staff to access the… Read more »
Hi, I work for Marpal Ltd and have carried out lots of fire risk assessments on care homes. One of the most frequent high risk items we pick up is that, in care homes, you often also need to get back in from the outside areas to assist with the escape of immobile residents (internal access to end corridors can be cut off by fire and smoke).
We tend to suggest push pads that can be overridden from the external areas by a master key.
Adrian Gouldin
How do prevent fire doors being jemmied from outside?c7z5c
There is little doubt that firedoors are a crucial element of fire, smoke and blast protection. However, I have long since ceased to be amazed at just how easy it is to circumvent the most superior of safety and security systems. Visiting a major government department in central London during the height of the IRA era, my discussion was to be held in a large room with banks of external windows. It was located at the end of a corridor leading from the central core with its lifts and staircases. It was a warm, sunny day and so, natch, the… Read more »
Glass bolts are problematic if the hammer goes missing ?
In order to enhance the safety on electrically locked emergency exit routes, a new Norm prEN13637 was approved in December 2015. According to this Norm a complete system including emergency exit switch, locking element and control unit have to be tested together and meet the SIL2 safety standard. Time delay concepts are integrated into this norm under certain restrictions. This new standard provides common European Standard specifications for electrically controlled escape exit systems with the essential requirement being to give safe and effective escape through a doorway with not more than two single operations from the electrically locked state to… Read more »
In order to enhance the safety on electrically locked emergency exit routes a new Norm prEN13637 was approved in December 2015. According to this norm a complete system including emergency exit switch, locking element and control unit have to be tested together and meet the SIL2 safety standard. Time delay concepts are integrated into this norm under certain restrictions. This new standard provides common European Standard specifications for electrically controlled escape exit systems with the essential requirement being to give safe and effective escape through a doorway with not more than two single operations from the electrically locked state to… Read more »
Believe that the local Fire Brigade are the only ones who can offer you help as they are the ones who go in when we all leave . It is also true I believe that the insurance companies along with the Brigade set the standards for the Fire order , providing government with advice and expertise.
Testing, Rules, Laws all assume that there is someone responsible , and for doors it should be easy yet it’s not . Half the world wants to be a manager or official in some guise or another yet who signs that the fire door is ok that it opens , that it’s fit for the job it does. Every door should serve a purpose but when there is a need to be accountable in law we need regular checking by those responsible , not annual inspection by the cheapest contractor or certification from whoever. Time to go back to basics… Read more »
what arrangement should be provided opposite to panic bar side
Is my company aloud to lock an exit door from the inside? I am unable to get to an exit unless i travel through a door in my plant and then out an exit on the production floor.
I like what this article says about outward opening fire doors. It’s important to be able to get out of a building as fast as possible when it’s on fire. You shouldn’t have to slow down to pull a door open. I hope more businesses and public places invest in outward opening doors.
My dad just recently put up a mini grocery store, and he’s planning to an exit door just in case of emergencies. You have a point the emergency doors shouldn’t be fitted with locks, latches or bolts, so customers can easily go out. One more thing, we’re wondering where could we find a shop that designs and install exit signs as well. https://nightbrightusa.com/product-category/ul-924-photoluminescent-exit-signs/
We have a situation where a church hall is used extensively for a range of activities, primarily as a kindergarten, but also by elderly people. The hall can accommodate about 80 people. Panic bars are fitted on the two fire exit doors, one of which escapes directly onto the pavement of a busy road. Our concern is that a young child would be capable of opening this door by ‘hanging’ onto the panic bar, and make an ‘escape’ onto the street (we know this can happen very quickly). We are concerned that should we make the bar more difficult to… Read more »