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Posted By Bill Collins
Do doors on fire escape routes have to open in the direction of escape?
The current Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 state that
'emergency doors shall open in the direction of escape';
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that…
(d) 'emergency doors must open in the direction of escape'; (pretty straight forward so far.....)
But, Approved Document B states that…
The door of any doorway or exit should, if reasonably practicable, be hung in the direction of escape and should always do so if the number of persons that might be expected to use the door at the time of the fire is more than 60
So, is it the case that...
(a)it's desirable that doors on routes that double up as escape routes in the event of an emergency, open in the direction of escape if likely to accomodate less than 60 people, whilst doors that are on routes used solely as a means of escape must open in the direction of escape no matter what, or
(b)all doors on routes that are used as escape routes in the event of an emergency, regardless of whether they are also used as internal walkways or the likely volume of people to be accomodated, MUST open in the direction of escape?
Any help would be most gratefully received!
Thanks
Bill
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Posted By Paul Oliver
Hi Bill,
Do have a situation where you cannot install doors that open outwards?
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Posted By Bill Collins
Not really but the way I read Approved Document B, it doesn't appear necessary anyway considering there are only 15 employees in the whole place. But when you read the regs (either one).. it does. Sems a bit of a contradiction to me and I just wanted to be clear in my own mind so that I don't advise a course of action that is, in the first instance unnecessary or, in the second, illegal.
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Posted By George Wedgwood
Clearly all escape doors should open outwards in the direstion of escape, except if there is a case (and it would seem that there are one or two) where it cannot physically be made possible and so the door opens inwards (perhaps there is a permanent blockage that prevents outward opening). In that case training and a means to open the door in an emergency is necessary as may be the provision to cut the door open in an emergency (with an axe for example). For large numbers of people, that practicability is not an option so construction work would have to be planned to make it posible to open outwards - even though this was complicated. That's my view anyway and any switchroom door I commented on had to open outwards, no matter how upset the designer was!
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Posted By gham
In a nut shell
a) If there is a very good reason for them not opening in that direction, although are final EMERGENCY exits not supposed to open outwards anyway
b) if there are more than 60 people likley to use the route
I think you answered your won question Bill
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Posted By Bill Collins
OK, cheers, I was happy that final doors have to open outwards,it was the internal ones that were just on normal corridors that the owner has been asked to replace.
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Posted By Paul Oliver
Lets have a look at likely causes of emergency (fire: source of ignition,combustible material etc.) and eliminate or manage them firstly, then you can have the confidence to advise wether internal doors require modifiying or not.
You always find that the lovely little cubby hole under the stairs brsitling with paper and rubbish, outward opening doors are no use if you can't get to them in the first place.
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Posted By Bill Collins
Yeah, all that's sorted, the place is spotless.. I'll advise that they get the work done so that all doors on routes designated for use in an emergency open in the direction of escape.
Cheers all
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Posted By Jeffrey Watt
Bill
I suppose you need to go out quick when the Jesus Nut goes on the CH47 your repairing. Must be quite interesting work there?
Kind regards
Jeff
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Posted By Merv Newman
it seems to me that normal architectural/safety practice is that doors giving on to a corridor open inwards (to avoid knocking people down)unless they can only be opened from the corridor (not-normally-occupied maintenance/services space)
Doors within a corridor and final doors open in the direction of escape.
And then there are swinging doors ...
Merv
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