Emergency door

[Joao Kilandamoko]

Hi there,

I am an HES Emergency Response Specialist, My colleagues from the Maintenance Team and SCM use to perform on their daily basis, the maintenance of the Generator located beside one of our Office Exit doors and mostly that exit door is used as normal door during the maintenance of the generator. The reason advanced by both team (SCM and Maintenance) by using the emergency exit door is due to the distance separating the Generator area to the main entrance of the office.

My question is to know if it is illegal to use the emergency exit door as normal service door?

If the answer is yes, so what should be the additional precautions to be taken while the door is used as normal door?

if not, what recommendations to be implemented to reinforce the prohibition?

[Tom Sutton]

It is not illegal to use the emergency exit door as normal service door they are like any other exit doors but because they usually are not used regularly they have signs to indicate a way to safety. All doors used for means of escape should be easy to open without a key and if there was a chance of a panic situation those doors should be fitted with panic bars or latches.