Practical Fire Escape Security
Let’s talk about practical advice for securing your fire exit; Not many people know the precise rules for locking mechanisms so I am here to talk you through exactly what you need to meet the Fire Safety Regulatory Reform Order 2005.
If you want read the full text that the government has created on this matter please take the time to visit the following webpage that has the full fire safety duties, enforcement and other practical guidelines.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/contents/made
The Requirements
To focus on the requirements of the door hardware you may need I would like to break things down a little. Put quite simply, if you have a workplace, or are the landlord of a property that the public frequent regularly, you have in place a device to allow easy egress at anytime, without having any knowledge of locking devices. This may seem like obvious advice however what these regulations actually mean is that you MUST have a panic bar or panic pad to operate these doors.
Having a standard escape lock is simply not enough, a standard BS8621 escape lock will have a conventional deadlock case but will have a ‘thumb turn’ operated cylinder lock. To exit through one of these locks, one would have to first turn the thumb turn, then operate a traditional lever handle or door knob to operate the latch. This has been deemed as too complex for a complete novice to operate in the event of an emergency.
The Solution
The solution is the humble panic bar. We have all seen these alongside a ‘push bar to exit’ sign, a simple instruction that anyone can follow to escape from the building in the event of a fire. Even non English speaking persons would be able to operate this door within a few seconds, and that is why these regulations are enforced.
The Penalties
Corporate manslaughter is a very serious offence, anyone prosecuted and found guilty of neglect over a death in the workplace will receive a minimum of a £500,000 fine and will be subject to criminal prosecution and would face a significant jail term so it really is no laughing matter.
To avoid this and make your shop, office or workplace safe, you must install a good quality piece of emergency exit hardware that is rated to EN1125 or EN179 such as our complete Exidor range. All of our Exidor range is certified to these standards and is available for both rebated and non rebated double and single doors.
What You Need
To make things even easier; If you have a single leaf fire exit that needs to be secured but at the same time obey the regulations discussed above, we can recommend the Exidor 294 that will fit the majority of single door applications. Got a rebated double door? Not a problem, take a look at our Exidor 285 that is designed especially for this purpose.
Do you have a required that I haven’t answered here?
Why not give us a call on 0845 2300201 and speak to a team of highly trained professionals waiting to answer your call?
