Fire exit with push bar and external lock

[Guest PhilipFor]

Hi,
We have an internal fire door that forms part of the exit route. However when the building is unoccupied we need to lock the door from the outside for security reasons. Can we use a push pad one side and lock the door after we exit the room?

[Tom Sutton]

There is no problem locking the door from the outside when the premises are unoccupied but how will you enter the premises from the outside if you have a push pad on the inside unless there is a push pad with that facility which I am not aware of?