Motivated by the Sunderland disaster, Robert Alexander Briggs (1868–1963) invented the panic bolt which was granted a UK patent on 13 August 1892. This slowly led to the legal requirement that venues must have a minimum number of outward opening doors as well as locks which could be opened from the inside. They may even be used when not required by code because they are quicker and easier for users compared with a knob or lever handle.Ĭrash bar doors in a school, with upper vertical rod latches History įollowing the events of the Victoria Hall disaster in Sunderland, England in 1883 in which 183 children died because a door had been bolted at the bottom of a stairwell, the British government began legal moves to enforce minimum standards for building safety. ![]() However, in many buildings the crash bar functions as the primary mechanism for opening a door in normal circumstances as well. They are sometimes intended solely for emergency use and may be fitted with alarms. Modern fire standards often mandate that doors be fitted with crash bars in commercial and other occupancies where mass evacuation may be slowed by other types of door openers. Depressing the bar unlatches the door, allowing occupants to quickly leave the building. The device consists of a spring-loaded metal bar which is fixed horizontally to a door that swings in the direction of an exit. While originally conceived as a way to prevent crowd crushing in an emergency, crash bars are now used as the primary door opening mechanism in many commercial buildings. ![]() A crash bar fitted to a glass exterior door.Ī crash bar (also known as a panic exit device, panic bar, or push bar) is a type of door opening mechanism which allows users to open a door by pushing a bar.
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