Los Angeles Locksmith
Panic Door and Push Bar Installation in Los Angeles
When it comes to workplace safety, school building safety or hospital safety; any security considerations affect the integrity of the building you're in, the safety of your office equipment and materials, and most of all, the employees and others housed in the building. A key part of office place safety is a comprehensive plan that includes panic doors, not only on doors required by fire codes, but possibly on other doors as well. Here, we discuss the uses of panic doors and where they may benefit your workplace.
What is a panic door?
Panic doors are internal or external doors equipped with metal rod mechanisms called panic bars, crash bars or exit devices that are spring loaded and designed to be easy to use for quick exit. When the panic bar is pushed or depressed, it unlatches the lock and opens externally to allow for high traffic situations and rapid exit.
Where are door push bars used?
All emergency exits are equipped with some kind of door push bar because of their easy opening systems. And fire codes may require other doors to have push bars as well, especially buildings that house large numbers of people. Usually doors that access stairways have panic bars, since this is also an integrative part of a building's safety exit plan. In the event of a fire or other emergency, panic doors have proven to be effective in opening quickly enough to not slow down even a large group of running people.
On emergency exits, when a panic bar is engaged or depressed, it is often wired to the alarm system and will activate the emergency alarm for the whole building. This is one of the many benefits of having panic bars as part of an emergency system. They do not require pulling an extra lever or engaging a switch to signal an emergency to the building. They are activated upon just exiting the building.
Safety features to utilize in addition to panic bars:
- Alarm systems- Security systems can be used both to signal to people in the building of emergencies like fire, and to deter attempts of break-in or theft to the building. There are many types of alarm systems and they are becoming more technologically advanced all the time with more customizable options. We highly recommend an alarm system for both your home and office.
- Smoke detectors- In most states, there are requirements for smoke detector installation in workplaces, and also insurance companies may require a certain number of detectors in a home or office. These are a great first line of defense in the case of a fire, as they can begin to signal smoke, even if there is no one there to witness it.
- Exit lighting- Most states also require a certain number of exit signs in a building and also exit lighting.
- Motion sensor lighting- To deter theft and also provide light around your home or office at night, motion sensor lighting is relatively low cost to maintain and effective at deterring predators considering burglary or theft.
- Security cameras- Security cameras not only provide the benefit of being able to replay what has happened around your home or office in a given span of time, but when placed in visible locations, they can deter crime when seen by potential predators.
- Master key system- Having a master key system at your office allows you to give different levels of access to different employees. Managers and high-clearance individuals may obtain keys that unlock every door, while other people may only have a key to an external door and their office.
- Key card entry- These systems provide access to people based on an individualized card system and can even record when certain individuals entered and exited the building.
Whatever your office security needs, we are experts equipped with top of the line materials and a reliable staff that can respond quickly and work effectively.