Building Fire Exit design - Steps on exit

[Mr Taxpayer]

I help out at a local village hall. I have some rusty H&S and Fire Safety Training and have noticed that one of the fire exits is effing lethal!

I managed to get the committee to spend some money on a panic bar and replace the Yale lock and morticed deadlock that was holding one of the fire exits shut. However, once you pass through the exits you are faced immediately with a drop down a flight of 6 stone steps to ground level. The steps are currently overgrown with holly, but that's a minor side issue!

IIRC, if you do not exit to safe ground level, then there is meant to be some form of platform to exit onto. I believe that one step is permissible. The current arrangement has the door flush with the wall and step. If you push the panic bar the weight of the door swinging out tends to pull you into the void.

Can any firemen / SHEF consultants point me towards the relevent section of Building Regs or Fire Regulatory Reform Order, please.

[Tom_C76]

Building regs approved doc B is what you need

[grumpyscot]

Tom_C76 said:

Building regs approved doc B is what you need

We certainly had to provide platforms. Exiting onto stairs directly is effing dangerous!

I assume exit is also properly lit, with emergency battery backup????????

IIRC stairs have to be lit too once the door is opened.

[surveyor]

not forgetting that building regs are not retrospective.....

[The Surveyor]

As above, Don't think that just because the Building Regulations gives guidance on what new building need to provide, that this applies retrospectively to existing buildings.

This is where a proper risk assessment is needed under the Fire Regulatory Reform Order. You may find that given the number of people in the building and the number of available escapes, this exit is acceptable once you've cleared away the foliage, and maybe improved the lighting and visibility / warning of the steps with suitable signage for example.

There is some good guidance on Fire Risk Assessments on the .gov website.

Paul

[PAULJ5555]

could the steps be made in to a slope, might be better than the steps if BC does not need to be met.

[covboy]

if its a public access type location I'm a bit surprised you haven't already had a visit from the local Trumpton

[Slidingpillar]

PAULJ5555 said:

could the steps be made in to a slope, might be better than the steps if BC does not need to be met.

Not a legal answer, but as someone who is mobility impaired, and uses a walker, steps are doable, but a downwards slope is very difficult to negotiate. Unless I get help - pretty well impossible.

I am assuming the steps have a banister, if not, a major problem too.

[surveyor]

Slidingpillar said:

PAULJ5555 said:

could the steps be made in to a slope, might be better than the steps if BC does not need to be met.

Not a legal answer, but as someone who is mobility impaired, and uses a walker, steps are doable, but a downwards slope is very difficult to negotiate. Unless I get help - pretty well impossible.

I am assuming the steps have a banister, if not, a major problem too.

If replacing steps very likely be too steep as well.

[V8 Fettler]

Evacuation strategy should be the first step (!) Who is likely to be in the building? How are they going to get out?

[Foliage]

From an FM point of view, if you don't change it, it doesn't have to be to building regulations, if you change it you have to do it right. You probably need to do a fire risk assessment of the whole building and its likely that its been locked because you don't need the additional fire exit or it was deemed dangerous.

More sensible approach - Ask your local fire station if someone could come and have a look and offer advice on how you have make the best of the available installation with regards to fire evacuations.