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Posted By naomi
Hi
Hope you are all well and hoping some-one can offer me a little guidance.
My place of work at present doesn't have any facilities to wash coffee cups etc.. and at present they are being washed in the basin in the ladies toilets!
This has been addressed since I came on board and the manager has been made aware of the welfare regs etc...
He is planning on installing a kitchen sink and work top under the stairs.
The question being..... The overall gap is 1.44 metres and where he would like it positioned is in an area where office staff would have to exit in the event of a fire (fire exit door) how much space is required? if a sink etc was installed? There could be a max of 15 people in the rare occasions.
Regards
Naomi
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Posted By PeterL
Hi Naomi,
If my memory serves me correctly the answer is 750mm, this is a Building Regs requirement, and is sufficient for 50 persons to escape through safely.
A word of caution siting the sink and unit under the stairs - nothing should be stored in this area that is combustible, as it may put those at risk using these stairs in an emergency / fire situation.
Cheers Pete,
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Posted By naomi
Thanks Pete, for the reply.
Much appreciated
Naomi
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Posted By Ashley Wood
Naomi,
I agree with Pete. If you do do it do not let them have a toaster, toasted sandwich maker or microwave. Also, watch out for mats as these will be a trip hazard. When looking at the width, assume that a cupboard door could be left open.
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Posted By Peter Farrell
750mm for up to 40 people although this needs to be increased to 800mm for wheelchairs, so you would have to take into account visitors to the office etc. This then increases to 1 metre for 80 persons or more. Remember the area needs to be kept clean and dry, otherwise you may end up with someone slipping on spillage, which could prove costly to the company through a claim, particularly if someone is rushing to get out in the event of a fire.
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Posted By Crim
My advice is don't do it!
Find another, more suitable location.
Lots of reasons - there would be a tendency to have a kettle there, then maybe a microwave, toaster sandwich maker etc. and would block the fire exit route while not being very hygeinic.
Timber sink unit furniture would be combustible and not advisable to have in a staircase enclosure.
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Posted By Konstanty Budkiewicz
Naomi,
You appear to describe a work area that has very restricted opportunity for expansion and the suitable and sufficient provision of kitchen arrangements.
As an alternative to your current proposal, using one of our normal hierarchy of hazard controls (elimination, substitution), have you considered removing the wash-up duties altogether?
For instance, instead of buying a kitchen could management provide disposable cups and utensils, as a cost saving/reduction measure?
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