Panic Bars, Importance in Commercial Property

Many are familiar with panic bars in terms of having seen them before in properties, but they don’t exactly know what their purpose is. It can appear to be a device that triggers an alarm. But if you are wondering what it is used for and why it is important to have one, you have come to the right place. When you manage or have ownership of a business, it is important that you take the appropriate security steps – a panic bar just might be one of them for you. To put it as simply as possible, a panic device is a mechanism used relevant to opening a door – and it works when a person presses down on a bar.  

So now you know what a panic bar is - but should you have a panic bar for your commercial property? Do you need to have one for your property? If so, why? Because it serves to keep people such as customers and employees safe we believe it is very important to have. Its primary purpose is to help to allow persons to get out fast when an emergency is occurring that warrants a fast exit. It should be a part of your exit plan. Of course, this is not the only purpose of this device.

As mentioned before, a panic bar lets a person exit a building simply by pushing down on a bar or a “rod” – hence why some call it a push bar. When one presses down on the bar, a latch is retracted so the door can open. If you are looking to keep your property handicapped-accessible, then this is a good feature. It can make things just a little bit easier. 

Which Properties Have Panic Bars?

Panic bars are mechanisms for safety that you are going to see in a vast array of commercial properties. College campuses have them. Resort hotels have them. Many hospitals have them. You will also see them in movie theaters. Make note the next time you go out in public – you will likely see them on your next shopping spree! If you think a specific building should have these devices installed, but you are not sure about it, you will want to check for details on International Building Code. The general rule is that if a building sees a lot of foot traffic or is able to hold a specific amount of people, it should have a panic bar.  National Fire Protection Association Code is another code that you should familiarize yourself with if you are in charge of a business property. Check it out if you do have one, so you can see if you are supposed to have a crash bar.

Panic Bars Make Things Safer

You don’t want to think about emergency situations taking place, but the fact is, if you think about them in advance, you can help to be prepared for a bad situation. Consider this – you might have thought of what to do if your property ever caught on fire. You are trained from the time you are a small child on how to get out if a building is burning without inhaling too much smoke. It’s the same idea with a business – you need to know what to do if a disaster occurs. If you had a lot of people at your property, would said large group have the ability to exit without crowding? Do you think they would trample each other? If so, then you need a panic bar because this very likely would happen without it. Therefore, the device can save lives. 

Another perk to crash bars is you might enjoy a drop in insurance costs. This is something to check on because who doesn’t want to save money?

Panic Bars – Importance in Commercial Properties

We hope you now see that panic bars are important to have.

Earlier in this article, the concept of an alarm system came up. You might not know this but you could get a crash bar that does indeed have an alarm. It’s something to check out!
Let’s go over purchasing your panic bar. Let’s say you have made the decision to have one installed. This is something a locksmith should do. You don’t want to install it yourself, only to make a mistake, rendering it useless.  

You know now that if a mass exit was required, you’d need to do things to facilitate this. You don’t want people to be hindered because they are trampling each other with no other way out. You have an obligation to do your part to protect those who enter your property. A panic bar is one way to do this.