By law there are very specific locking requirements required for exit doors.
Fire exit doors regulations victoria.
This access to exit requirements seeks to minimize occupants exposure to these and other hazards.
An exit is permitted to have only those openings necessary to allow access to the exit from occupied areas of the workplace or to the exit discharge.
Essential safety measures are central to ensuring a safe and healthy built environment in victoria and their maintenance is vital for the life safety and health of occupants over a building s lifetime.
Exit doors are a critical part of the fire and safety infrastructure of a building.
Fire door standards and legislative requirements.
The nfpa emergency exit door requirements code states there is a maximum travel distance allowed to find an exit.
They must be free of devices or alarms that could restrict use of the exit route if the device or alarm fails.
If there is a fire in the area where occupants are they are already being exposed to smoke fire and heat.
Employers need to ensure that emergency exits in buildings comply with the requirements in the building code of australia part d1 provision for escape.
Exit doors are a critical part of the fire and safety infrastructure of a building.
Fire doors are inside buildings residential and commercial and are internal doors that need to be kept closed in order to stop the spread of fire between different areas of a building.
In years gone by fire exit doors were viewed solely for use as emergency fire exits but that view has changed.
An opening into an exit must be protected by a self closing fire door that remains closed or automatically closes in an emergency upon the sounding of a fire alarm or employee alarm system.
These doors are able to be pushed open from the inside and are either very simple to unlock or not locked at all.
Exit route doors must be unlocked from the inside.
To this end the building regulations 2006 regulate to ensure adequate levels of fire safety and protection.
In workplaces that are buildings the location of doors needs to be appropriately marked and signs need to be posted to show the direction to exit doors to aid emergency evacuation.
Bca d2 21 building codes of australia includes as1428 1 as1905 1.
Door lock regulations for exit and fire doors.
These doors must swing out in the direction of exit travel if the room is.
They must be kept clear at all times for a two metre circumference around the exit.
Emergency or fire exits are designed specifically for the purpose of providing a faster means of getting out of the building in times of emergency such as a fire or earthquake they are strategically located in select areas within the building such as in stairwells hallways and other similar places and feature an outward opening door with a crash bar.
Side hinged exit doors must be used to connect rooms to exit routes.
Leading to the exit discharge.
