Section 5: General provisions
Introduction
5.1 This section applies to all buildings and deals with the design, construction and protection of escape routes and service installations.
Protection of escape routes
Fire resistance of enclosures
5.2 Fire resistance test criteria are set out in Appendix B. Standards of performance are summarised in Tables B3 and B4. Apart from specific situations described in Sections 1 and 2, and requirements B3 and B5, a minimum performance of REI 30 is sufficient to protect means of escape.
Fire resistance of doors
5.3 Fire resistance test criteria are set out in Appendix C. Standards of performance are summarised in Table C1.
Fire resistance of glazed elements
5.4 If glazed elements in fire resisting enclosures and doors can only meet the required integrity performance, their use is limited. These limitations depend on whether the enclosure forms part of a protected shaft (see Section 8) and the provisions set out in Appendix B, Table B5. If both integrity and insulation performance can be met, there is no restriction in this document on the use or amount of glass.
5.5 Glazed elements should also comply with the following, where necessary.
a. If the enclosure forms part of a protected shaft: Section 8.
b. Appendix B, Table B5.
c. Guidance on the safety of glazing: Approved Document K.
Doors on escape routes
5.6 Doors should be readily openable to avoid undue delay to people escaping. Doors on escape routes (both within and from the building) should comply with paragraphs 5.7 to 5.15. Guidance on door closing and ‘hold open’ devices for fire doorsets is set out in Appendix C.
Door fastenings
5.7 In general, doors on escape routes (whether or not the doors are fire doorsets) should be either of the following.
a. Not fitted with a lock, latch or bolt fastenings.
b. Fitted only with simple fastenings that are all of the following.
i. Easy to operate; it should be apparent how to undo the fastening.
ii. Operable from the side approached by people escaping.
iii. Operable without a key.
iv. Operable without requiring people to manipulate more than one mechanism. Doors may be fitted with hardware to allow them to be locked when rooms are empty.
In places such as hotel bedrooms, locks may be fitted that are key operated from the outside and manually opened from the inside.
If a secure door is operated by code or combination keypad, swipe or proximity card, biometric data, etc., a security mechanism override should be possible from the side approached by people escaping.
5.8 Electrically powered locks should return to the unlocked position in all of the following situations.
a. If the fire detection and alarm system operates.
b. If there is loss of power or system error.
c. If the security mechanism override is activated.
Security mechanism overrides for electrically powered locks should be a Type A call point as described in BS 7273-4. The call point should be positioned on the side approached by people escaping. If the door provides escape in either direction, a call point should be installed on both sides of the door.
5.9 In places of assembly and shop and commercial buildings (purpose groups 4 and 5), doors on escape routes from rooms with more than 60 people should be either of the following.
a. Not fitted with locks, latches or bolts.
b. Fitted with panic fastenings in accordance with BS EN 1125.
In non-residential buildings (purpose groups 3 to 7), some final exit doors feature security locks that are used only when the building is empty. Such locks may be appropriate, but management procedures must emphasise their safe use.
5.10 Guidance on door closing and ‘hold open’ devices for fire doorsets is set out in Appendix C.
Direction of opening
5.11 The door of any doorway or exit should be hung to open in the direction of escape whenever reasonably practicable. It should always be hung to open in the direction of escape if either of the following conditions applies.
a. More than 60 people might be expected to use it during a fire.
b. There is a very high risk of fire with potential for rapid fire growth, such as with some industrial activities.
Amount of opening and effect on associated escape routes
5.12 All doors on escape routes should be hung to meet both of the following conditions.
a. Open by a minimum of 90 degrees.
b. Open with a swing that complies with both of the following.
i. Is clear of any change of floor level, other than a threshold or single step on the line of the doorway.
ii. Does not reduce the effective width of any escape route across a landing.
5.13 Any door opening towards a corridor or a stair should be recessed to prevent its swing encroaching on the effective width.
Vision panels in doors
5.14 Doors should contain vision panels in both of the following situations.
a. Where doors on escape routes divide corridors.
b. Where doors are hung to swing both ways.
Approved Document M contains guidance about vision panels in doors across accessible corridors and Approved Document K contains guidance about the safety of glazing.
Revolving and automatic doors
5.15 Where revolving doors, automatic doors and turnstiles are placed across escape routes they should comply with one of the following.
a. They are automatic doors of the required width and comply with one of the following conditions.
i. Their failsafe system provides outward opening from any open position.
ii. They have a monitored failsafe system to open the doors if the mains electricity supply fails.
iii. They failsafe to the open position if the power fails.
b. Non-automatic swing doors of the required width are provided immediately adjacent to the revolving or automatic door or turnstile.
General provisions
Headroom in escape routes
5.16 Escape routes should have a minimum clear headroom of 2m. The only projections allowed below this height are door frames.
Flooring of escape routes
5.17 Escape route floor finishes should minimise their slipperiness when wet. Finishes include the treads of steps and surfaces of ramps and landings.
Ramps and sloping floors
5.18 A ramp forming part of an escape route should meet the provisions in Approved Document M. Any sloping floor or tier should have a pitch of not more than 35 degrees to the horizontal.
5.19 Guidance for where there is fixed seating is given in both of the following.
a. Approved Documents K and M give guidance on the design of ramps and associated landings, and on aisles and gangways where there is fixed seating.
b. Section 2 of this document refers to Annex D of BS 9999, which gives guidance on the design of means of escape in places with fixed seating.
Final exits
5.20 The width of a final exit should be at least the same as the minimum required width of the escape route it serves.
5.21 People should be able to rapidly leave the area around the building. Direct access to a street, passageway, walkway or open space should be available. The route away from the building should comply with the following.
a. Be well defined.
b. If necessary, have suitable guarding.
5.22 Final exits should not present a barrier for disabled people. Where the route to a final exit does not include stairs, a level threshold and, where necessary, a ramp should be provided.
5.23 Final exit locations should be clearly visible and recognisable.
5.24 Final exits should avoid outlets of basement smoke vents and openings to transformer chambers, refuse chambers, boiler rooms and similar risks.
Lighting of escape routes
5.25 All escape routes should have adequate artificial lighting. If the mains electricity power supply fails, escape lighting should illuminate the routes listed in Table 5.1.
5.26 Escape stair lighting should be on a separate circuit from the electricity supply to any other part of the escape route.
5.27 Escape lighting should conform to BS 5266-1.
Exit signs
5.28 Every doorway or other exit providing access to a means of escape, other than exits in ordinary use (e.g. main entrances), should be distinctively and conspicuously marked by an exit sign in accordance with BS ISO 3864-1 and BS 5499-4.
Advice on fire safety signs, including emergency escape signs, is given in the HSE publication Safety Signs and Signals: Guidance on Regulations.
Some buildings may require additional signs to comply with other legislation.
Protected power circuits
5.29 To limit potential damage to cables in protected circuits, all of the following should apply.
a. Cables should be sufficiently robust.
b. Cable routes should be carefully selected and/or physically protected in areas where cables may be exposed to damage.
c. Methods of cable support should be class A1 rated and offer at least the same integrity as the cable. They should maintain circuit integrity and hold cables in place when exposed to fire.
5.30 A protected circuit to operate equipment during a fire should achieve all of the following.
a. Cables should achieve PH 30 classification when tested in accordance with BS EN 50200
(incorporating Annex E) or an equivalent standard.
b. It should only pass through parts of the building in which the fire risk is negligible.
c. It should be separate from any circuit provided for another purpose.
5.31 Guidance on cables for large and complex buildings is given in BS 5839-1, BS 5266-1 and BS 8519.
Lifts
Evacuation lifts
5.32 Generally, lifts should not be used when there is a fire in the building, unless their use forms part of a management plan for evacuating people and the following conditions are met.
a. Lifts are appropriately sited and protected.
b. Lifts contain safety features to ensure they remain usable during a fire. Guidance on the design and use of evacuation lifts is given in Annex G to BS 9999.
5.33 Where a firefighting lift is provided, it can be used to evacuate disabled people. Management plans should describe how this would be managed, and what will happen when the fire and rescue service arrives.
Fire protection of lift installations
5.34 Lift wells should comply with one of the following conditions.
a. Be sited within the enclosures of a protected stairway.
b. Be enclosed with fire resisting construction (minimum REI 30) when in a position that might prejudice the means of escape.
5.35 A lift well connecting different compartments should form a protected shaft (see Section 8).
5.36 Lifts that rise within a large volume such as a mall or atrium and do not have a conventional well, such as wall-climber or feature lifts, may be at risk if they run through a smoke reservoir. Care should be taken to maintain the integrity of the smoke reservoir and protect people in the lift.
5.37 In buildings designed for phased evacuation or progressive horizontal evacuation, if the lift well is not within the enclosures of a protected stairway, its entrance should be separated at every storey by a protected lobby (minimum REI 30).
5.38 In basements and enclosed car parks, the lift should be within the enclosure of a protected stairway. Otherwise, the lift should be approached only via a protected lobby or protected corridor (minimum REI 30).
5.39 If a lift delivers into a protected corridor or protected lobby serving sleeping accommodation and also serves a storey containing a high fire risk (such as a kitchen, communal areas, stores, etc.) then the lift should be separated from the high fire risk area(s) by a protected lobby or protected corridor (minimum REI 30).
5.40 A lift shaft serving storeys above ground level should not serve any basement if either of the following applies.
a. There is only one escape stair serving storeys above ground level and smoke from a basement fire would adversely affect escape routes in the upper storeys.
b. The lift shaft is within the enclosure to an escape stair that terminates at ground level.
5.41 Lift machine rooms should be sited over the lift well where possible. Where buildings or part of a building with only one stairway make this arrangement impractical, the lift machine room should be sited outside the protected stairway.
Refuse chutes and storage
5.42 Refuse storage chambers, refuse chutes and refuse hoppers should be sited and constructed in accordance with BS 5906.
5.43 Refuse chutes and rooms for storing refuse should meet both of the following conditions.
a. Be separated from other parts of the building by fire resisting construction (minimum REI 30 in buildings with a top storey up to 5m above ground level; otherwise REI 60).
b. Not be situated within a protected stairway or protected lobby.
5.44 The approach to rooms containing refuse chutes or for storing refuse should comply with one of the following conditions.
a. Be directly from the open air.
b. Be through a protected lobby with a minimum 0.2m2 of permanent ventilation.
5.45 Access openings to refuse storage chambers should not be sited next to escape routes or final exits.
Shop store rooms
5.46 Fully enclosed walk-in store rooms should be separated from retail areas with fire resisting construction (minimum REI 30) if they negatively affect the means of escape. The fire resisting construction is not necessary if the walk-in store room complies with either of the following.
a. Has an automatic fire detection and alarm system.
b. Is fitted with sprinklers.
Requirement B2: Internal fire spread (linings)
This section deals with the following requirement from Part B of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010.
Requirement
Requirement
Internal fire spread (linings)
B2. (1) To inhibit the spread of fire within the building, the internal linings shall—
(a) adequately resist the spread of flame over their surfaces; and
(b) have, if ignited, either a rate of heat release or a rate of fire growth, which is reasonable in the circumstances.
(2) In this paragraph “internal linings” means the materials or products used in lining any partition, wall, ceiling or other internal structure.
Limits on application
Intention
In the Secretary of State’s view, requirement B2 is met by achieving a restricted spread of flame over internal linings. The building fabric should make a limited contribution to fire growth, including a low rate of heat release.
It is particularly important in circulation spaces, where linings may offer the main means by which fire spreads and where rapid spread is most likely to prevent occupants from escaping.
Requirement B2 does not include guidance on the following.
a. Generation of smoke and fumes.
b. The upper surfaces of floors and stairs.
c. Furniture and fittings.
