And not only do you have to lock them they also need to be alarmed and in certain cases made to be almost bomb proof.
Should fire exit doors be locked.
In an ideal world you wouldn t have to worry about locking doors but leave one unlocked and you can almost guarantee you ll have uninvited guests.
Fire exit doors can be any colour.
The important thing is that the exit doors are clearly signed.
Fire exit doors should open in the direction of escape.
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.
However this presents a problem.
Exit route doors must be unlocked from the inside.
If it is a security door that is usually kept locked but will be used by members of the public in an emergency situation it will have to be fitted with a panic or push bar.
The first although rare restricts use of an exit.
There should be no locks or catches.
Openings into exits must have self closing fire doors that remain closed but not locked or automatically close at the sound of an alarm the door frame or hardware must be listed or approved by a national testing laboratory.
However there are two exceptions.
The final fire exit door must.
Emergency routes and fire exits must be indicated by signs.
There are also additional requirements where the door is the final exit point of a building.
However in the workplace it may be permissible to have an exit.
Above all equip doors with panic hardware and fire exit hardware.
For example this should not be less than 30 inches and not more than 44 inches above the floor.
Osha requires that the height of an exit must be seven feet.
Fire exit routes.
The door should open in the direction of evacuation.
Hardware consisting of bars that extend to at least half of the width of the door leaf.
Side hinged exit doors must be used to connect rooms to exit routes.
They must be free of devices or alarms that could restrict use of the exit route if the device or alarm fails.