Why Fire Exit Doors Require a Bollard or Barrier

Fire doors must be in compliance with the current national standards and requirements set out by the Building Code of Australia and the relevant Australian Standards (AS1905.1 and AS1530.4). According to the Building Code of Australia, there must be adequate means of escape in the case of fire or other emergency from all parts of a building to a place of safety. Fire exit doors must be protected from obstruction and in addition to that there are specific signage requirements for fire exit doors (read HERE). This means that the building owner / property manager is responsible to do everything reasonably possible to make sure that access to or from a fire egress door is not blocked or obstructed:

BUILDING CODE OF AUSTRALIA (BCA) PART D1 PROVISION FOR ESCAPE:

D1.10 Discharge from Exits

a) An exit must not be blocked at the point of discharge and where necessary, suitable barriers must be provided to prevent vehicles from blocking the exit, or access to it.

The simplest and most effective fixture to prevent obstruction by vehicles is a Safety Bollard which allows for easy and uninhibited people flow either side of the fire exit and also prevents vehicles from blocking the exit.

The information provided is not to be considered as exhaustive, binding or legal advice outside of what you may obtain through professional consultancy