FireNet Community
FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Fire Safety => Topic started by: Suttonfire on July 16, 2018, 01:43:25 PM
-
Can anyone advise whether there is a building regs requirement for them to open inwards in a block of flats (doors to the flats - not the communal entrance)?
The potential H&S hazards associated with a flat door opening outwards into the common parts are obvious but I wondered whether this was confirmed in approved guidance etc.
-
Domestic front doors normally open inwards because a) it suits the lock ironmongery (rim latches etc); b) they're easier to open when you're laden with shopping; c) the hinges are on the secure side of the door - less vulnerable to attack (e.g. removing the pins to defeat the lock).... there must be other reasons, I would imagine. There is no fire safety-related guidance that I know of that recommends inward-opening, but I don't know whether there is other guidance that does.
-
If they opened outwards then I assume that they would potentially be opening across a circulation space which would mean that you would need to provide
guarding to prevent somebody from being hit by the front door -Part M disabled. It is mainly the practicalities that prevent it happening