Panic bars are a common installation on many
commercial properties due to the many factors that make them a cost-effective,
injury-preventing safety device. A proper building emergency plan should include
having panic bars on all of your doors. This article aims to explain what panic
bars are and why they’re to integral to a building’s emergency prevention
measures. There are many factors that make panic bars a cost-effective,
irreplaceable investment for your business.
What Are Panic Bars?
A panic bar, also known as a crash bar, is a door
opening device that is commonly found on the doors of many commercial
properties in Glen Ellyn, IL, and all around the country. It’s a horizontal
metal bar containing a spring mechanism that is affixed to an exit door. You’ve
probably seen and used them many times without realizing what they were called.
The purpose of panic bars is to allow the door to easily open when the bar is
pushed. A panic bar allows for a faster and easier exit than traditional door
handles or knobs. Some panic bars have an alarm system attached. This type is
generally restricted to emergency exits. Many buildings utilize panic bars on
all of their exits, because they also offer.
Panic bars not only allow for an easy exit, but
they also work on aspects of human psychology. During an emergency situation,
it’s crucial that people be able to exit quickly and safely, no matter how many
people are in the building at the time. Panic bars allow for the free flow of
traffic out of your building. In an emergency, this prevents panic because
people can see that those ahead of them are exiting the building quickly,
without impediment, they will be less likely to panic. It’s important to
prevent any panic or unnecessary anxiety that may lead to a stampede. These
reactions are built into our basic instincts as living creatures, just like
many animals. Stampedes have caused many injuries and even deaths in the past,
and so panic bars were created to prevent this from happening. Since the
widespread use of panic bars began, these types of incidents have drastically
decreased.
Why Panic Bars Are Necessary
There are many reasons why panic bars are so
important for your commercial property. Here are just a few of the reasons why
these simple devices are so crucial if you want your business to be as safe as
possible. It’s no fluke that you see panic bars on most commercial properties
nowadays, from restaurants to shopping centers. No matter what type of exit
door your business uses, panic bars can be installed on them, including double
doors. It’s recommended not only to install panic bars on your emergency exits
and front door, but every exit in your building.
They allow for many people to exit quickly to safety.
In the event of a fire or another emergency that
requires evacuation of your commercial property, panic bars can allow many
people to easily exit in a fast manner. If your building has more than ten or
twenty people in it at any given time, panic bars are strongly recommended.
During an emergency, every second counts, and anything preventing people from
quickly leaving is a potential hazard. Most panic bars a feature that allows
them to be “dogged,” which allows the door to swing open no matter where on its
surface a person applies pressure.
