Why Panic Bars are Crucial for Commercial Property Safety
Panic bars save lives by assisting with the swift and safe evacuation of multiple people leaving a building all at once. For fires and other emergencies that may require workers and occupants to exit quickly, panic bars are door handles that make these kinds of quick exits possible.
Panic bars are also known as crash bars and you have likely seen them in commercial or business buildings before. Any space that is of a certain size is required to have panic bars installed on exit doors and doors that may be used for emergency escapes. They come in a couple of different styles, but always sit horizontally across doors and use a push bar of some sort to open. They can be used on interior doors in office buildings, for example, and may be mandatory in this case if a meeting room is of a certain size. Panic bars are also often connected to fire and other alarm systems to sound if they are placed on emergency exit doors.
In the event of an emergency, panic bars allow doors to open quickly and easily. They help prevent build-up that can occur when lots of people are exiting at once. Without them, crowd stampedes are more likely to occur and those who are attempting to escape may be crushed. Panic bars are a necessary safety component and all building owners should be aware of the laws regulating their installations, as well as why they are so important.