AD. Running a business means taking care of a wide range of different issues. From paying your employees on time to keeping your social media accounts up to date, it can feel like a somewhat overwhelming task to keep on top of everything. While there are some areas where you can afford to slack off a bit, there are others that require your care and attention at all times - one such area is keeping your premises safe for all inhabitants. Here are 3 signs your business needs new exit doors for increased safety.
[Photo by Cloris Ying on Unsplash]
3 Signs Your Business Needs New Exit Doors
1. The Use of The Building Has Changed
While you might have had your premises designed for your specific business, this will rarely be the case. In most instances, you’ll have taken on a preexisting building and adapted it to fit your needs as best as possible.
If this results in a significant change in usage, then you’ll likely need to make a number of changes to make the building suitable. For example, if you’ve converted a warehouse into a school or other non-industrial space, you’ll likely need to contact a door supplier such as LBS Group to ensure that your new exit doors are suitable for the new usage
2. The Exit Doors are Getting Old
Another sign that it could be time to update your current exit doors is if they’re getting to be on the older side of things. It’s important to recognise that safety features in your business will have an effective expiry date, after which they’ll no longer be able to serve their intended function.
Older doors might look ok after a lick of paint, but their structural integrity can start to decline. Not only might they become easier for intruders to force through, but they can also become less effective at limiting the spread of fire.
With new exit doors, you also need to be absolutely certain that the closing mechanism functions properly, so that people can escape in the case of an emergency.
3. Your Current Doors Aren’t Compliant
Lastly, while it’s obviously important from a practical perspective that your doors are functioning properly, you also need to make sure that the exit doors your business is using are compliant with the relevant fire regulations.
To figure out whether your existing doors are compliant, you will likely need to have a fire safety risk assessment carried out by a qualified practitioner. They’ll be able to inspect your existing doors and other safety features, making a range of recommendations.
Some of those will likely need to be implemented straight away, to bring your building up to spec, while others will be more general recommendations to put in place when you have the time.
To Conclude
Good quality exit doors should last for quite some time, meaning that it’s not going to be an investment that you’ll need to make on a regular basis. They play such a critical role in ensuring the safety of buildings and their inhabitants that it’s really not something you can afford to play around with. If you believe that any of the signs listed above are applicable, now’s the time to sort things out and get a new set of exit doors installed.
