Should Fire Doors Be Locked

If you don t already have fire doors in your home standard doors are fine.

Should fire doors be locked.

Should fire doors be locked. Fire safety can fire doors be locked. Osha requires that the height of an exit must be seven feet. 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.

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. By enabling the swift passage of people to a place of safety the final exit door will have performed its function. However if it is a fire door then access to both sides must be kept clear e g. Hardware consisting of bars that extend to at least half of the width of the door leaf.

Fire exits doors should open easily and wherever possible in the direction of traffic flow. This locking option requires designated and trained staff to respond to the activation of a fire alarm by proceeding directly to any of these locked doors and if necessary using a key card or. If dramatic security measures like chains padlocks or steel bars are required the first person entering the building in the morning must remove all of these. However if you wish to apply extra safety measures to keep you and your family safe then they are a great addition.

An applied force of 15 pounds should be enough to release the latch. Chaining the doors shut or blocking them in any way is dangerous and may be a violation of fire safety codes. Fire exit doors must not be locked whilst a building is in use however when a building is unoccupied it can be locked as securely as required. Your fire risk assessment should highlight the risks associated with blocking a fire door and more importantly it should include the control measures that will prevent it from happening.

You have a fire escape door leading from one of your warehouses which is also used as a goods inwards door. For security purposes the door is kept locked at night even though staff remain on site. Don t block it or lock it. Goods cannot be put down directly in front of or behind the door.

For example this should not be less than 30 inches and not more than 44 inches above the floor.