Are you wondering what hardware you should fit to your emergency fire exit doors?
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?
What the law says
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.
The need for outward opening fire exit doors
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.
Push bars and pads
Security fittings on fire doors should be thought of as a hierarchy:
- Nothing at all — the safest option;
- Panic bar/ pad;
- Emergency exit devices (the smaller pads and levers);
- Turn knob, single bolt, or other simply operated, single device;
- Glass bolt.
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.
Locking devices
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.