Rank: New forum user 
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I have a question that has been raised and would like advice.
We have a fire exit (final exit point to the building) that has a metal cage door that is closed and locked over weekends and evenings and then unlocked first thing in the morning. (not a fan but there you have it)
It has been questioned if this cage door can be left closed and locked but have the key placed immediately next to the door so that is can be unlocked in the event of an emergency. I personally feel this is not sufficiant as in the event of a fire people evacuating the building are not going to want to stop and then reverse in order to escape. But I thought I would ask here if anyone has any experience on this kind of problem and how they resolved it.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Not a great solution as the key can go missing etc. The requirement is that a fire door should be 'easily openable' i.e. taken as not requiring a key. You can change the doot lock/security device to be self locking, but unlockable/openable with out the need to use a key.
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 1 user thanked Ian Bell2 for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Originally Posted by: Hippyp  We have a fire exit (final exit point to the building) that has a metal cage door that is closed and locked over weekends and evenings and then unlocked first thing in the morning. (not a fan but there you have it)
We have a similar arrangement at one site. They contemplated having a readily-accesible key (the proposal was that it would hang on a chain long enough to reach teh lock inside but beside the door so it 'couldn't' go missing) and we decided against it in the end.
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Rank: Forum user 
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During a fire safety inspection I encountered a final exit door from a kitchen that had a locked screen door in front of it. My advice was that the screen door must be unlocked while the building was occupied.
If a final exit door has a thumbturn or other such device clear instructions on how to operate it should be posted.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Most fire enforcement agencies are very twitchy about keys in boxes, or on chains. As a rule of thumb, if you have 2, 3 or 4 staff - with no chance of the public - in a small office with a simple final exit door, this may suffice. But the law does state that exit doors must be openable easily and immediately. I do not think a key to a mesh door and then a second final door behind it is a goer in 99% of cases. I would have certainly wanted to hear some detailed rationale and business case for it when I was a Inspecting Officer.
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Rank: Forum user
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I've come across this many times when fire risk assessing. I really do not like keys for many reasons I won't bore you with. My recommendation is always the same- fit a push pad or push bar; they are low cost and eaisly fitted. The door can remain locked from the outside but easily opened from the inside.
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