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Panic Hardware

A

agb4

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Mar 4, 2010
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2006 ibc Section 1008.1.9 requires panic hardware in A use with an occupant load exceeding 50. The second half of the section reads "each door in a means of egress". If the assembly use is required to have two exits but has multiple exits in the space, would you require panic devices on all the doors that lead to the public way?
 
I was in the storage room of my local Target the other day with a door with panic hardware and an exit sign and a flush bolt and a padlock on it.....I got yelled at for a minute...then they did...
 
IMHO it doesn't matter if it has a sign or is a required exit. Egress is defined by Webster, in part, as "a way out." The code does not say "exit doors" but "each door in a means of egress." So, any door that provides a "way out" is required to have panic hardware in the in the situation the OP describes.

GPE
 
The exception to IBC 1028.3 infers that there can be additional exterior doors that are not exits. Such doors should not be signed as exits or be required to have panic hardware, nor be included in the egress analysis.
 
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This is what I ran into when as a Building Inspector and I required a correction for a door to swing out on the extior of a building.

This door was not labled and was not a required exit.
 
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"Each door in a means of egress" also means all intervening doors (corridor, vestibule, etc.) between the space and exterior.
 
agb4 said:
..... If the assembly use is required to have two exits but has multiple exits in the space, would you require panic devices on all the doors that lead to the public way?
Click to expand...
All the multiple exits plus any other interior doors until people exit to the outside public way.
 
Ben's right.

It's the doors that are intended to serve as part of the means of egress from the assembly occupancy - the ones from the room and then continuing on to the exit discharge to the public way. If the room has four doors out but only two are signed as exits, it is only those two that need to have panic devices since those are the egress elements from that room. For all anyone knows the other doors lead to storage rooms or offices. If they lead outward, fine. But they're not required to be equipped with panic hardware because they are not required to be part of the means of egress. You could padlock the extra doors if you wished (although at that point I'd question the sanity of the person who put them in there in the first place). And then, you need top have panic hardware on all the doors between the room and the public way. Even if the assembly room leads through a large office space that wouldn't otherwise need panic hardware, those devices need to be installed because they serve the assembly occupancy.

I used to be on staff at one of the legacy code organizations. This has been the way it was interpreted then. I've since checked with compatriots from the other two legacy organizations as well as the current staff. This is the right way to apply the language of this section.
 
Gene posted his answer while I was digging up some photos, and although I'm not an AHJ, code consultant, etc., the way he described it is the way I've seen the code applied. Similar discussions have occurred on this board before and I'd love to get a final answer with some references from the code to support it. I've attached some photos...I wish I had just taken photos of the function room when it was empty, but these will have to do. Sorry about the mob of kids, and the owl. This was a medium-sized function room at a hotel. Let me try to describe the layout. On the north wall (behind the owl) was the entrance to the kitchen and some service stations - no exit on that wall. On the east wall was a long bank of windows which are shown to the left of the owl lady. There's a pair with an exit sign and panic hardware at the end of the wall near the kitchen, and another pair without an exit sign but with panic hardware at the opposite end (shown in the photo of my son with the table blocking the door). On the south wall there's a bank of doors that swing in, and are locked with surface bolts (shown in photo #2). In the corner between the south wall and the west wall, there's a big opening with an exit sign - no doors (also photo #2).In summary - one big opening and one pair with panics - both with exit signs and located remotely from each other. One pair without an exit sign but with panics. One big bank of inswinging "french" doors with surface bolts. Does everyone agree that the bank of french doors do not have to provide egress, don't need to swing out, and don't need to be equipped with panics?What about the "extra" exit behind the table? It's functional, and it has panics, but no exit sign. Would you require this door to be kept clear and not allow it to be equipped with anything that would inhibit egress (like if they wanted to add a deadbolt) because it looks like an exit door? Is there some language in the code that would support this?

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Quite honestly, I don't think everyone agrees on any of it, and I don't think they ever will. There are always those who will look at 1008.1, and say that the extra doors leading outside or to an exit are "doors provided for egress purposes in numbers greater than required by this code...", and therefore have to comply with all of the provisions of 1008.

In other words, there are those who will say that the door without the exit sign, but with panic hardware, is not a "required" egress door, but is "provided for egress in numbers greater than required in this code", and therefore can't be blocked. Egress means to go out. It doesn't mean required exit.

This issue has been debated many times, but there is never a concensus. I personally used to be in the "every door has to comply" camp, but am slowly moving away from that, and feel that panics (or panaics) should only be on required egress doors.
 
Be aware that if there are divisable and/or movable walls that divide the space into other assembly areas of 50 or more; are the extra doors for the times the room is divided giving the smaller rooms their required EXITS? If so then yes the additional doors would require panics and exits signs.
 
101 has a nice section for labeling "NOT AN EXIT". Granted, it's not in the I-codes, but it is a good idea.

I would side with the "no exit sign, not a required exit, panic hardware not required" crowd.
 
LG

It is hard to give you an answer without some exit analysis

Just because an exit sign is not there does not mean it is not a required exit

I see exit sign happy people an then some that do not install enough exit signs
 
I think it's interesting how varied the opinions are. And I'm glad to see you CDA because I was wondering if you were sick since I haven't heard from you in like a week.

This function room (I'm sorry if I've hijacked this thread, by the way) would need to have an occupant load of more than 500 in order for the 3rd exit to be required, right? I didn't measure the area but there's no way the load is more than 500. It doesn't have any operable partitions to divide up the room either.

If an architect asked me about this room, along with the official disclaimers that I have no enforcement power and I'm just interpreting the intent of the codes the best I can, I would have said that the extra doors with the panics should be kept clear and should not have any added measures that would prevent egress (deadlock, surface bolts, chain, etc.). This looks way too much like an exit door, and I could imagine someone trying to use it during an emergency. I wouldn't think that the french doors need panics...if I told the architect that during design, he would probably just change them all to fixed lights like the other side of the room.

It seems like some of you agree and some disagree, but my new question is...if you were reviewing the plans for this facility before construction, would you make them change anything? Add an exit sign on the extra pair? Change the french doors to outswinging and add panics?
 
If there is a pair of doors with an exit sign, both doors need the panic hardware if the door requires panic hardware.

Without seeing the plans, I can't be definitive, but based on what I see the french doors are fine. They are not part of the means of egress. Besides, with that many doors, a mob will not pile up behind any one of them.
 
2006 IBC:

MEANS OF EGRESS. A continuous and unobstructed path of vertical and horizontal egress travel from any occupied portion of a building or structure to a public way. A means of egress consists of three separate and distinct parts: the exit access, the exit and the exit discharge.

1008.1.9 Panic and fire exit hardware.

Where panic and fire exit hardware is installed, it shall comply with the following:

1. The actuating portion of the releasing device shall extend at least one-half of the door leaf width.

2. The maximum unlatching force shall not exceed 15 pounds (67 N).

Each door in a means of egress from a Group A or E occupancy having an occupant load of 50 or more and any Group H occupancy shall not be provided with a latch or lock unless it is panic hardware or fire exit hardware.

Exception: A main exit of a Group A occupancy in compliance with Section 1008.1.8.3, Item 2.

What is unclear about the text? Any room or space? 50 or more? Each door? It is not just the exit door, it is all doors in the means of egress from rooms or spaces with 50 or more occupants. Period. No interp necessary.
 
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