Latching and locking doors that are hand activated and which are in a path of travel shall be operable with a single effort by lever type hardware by panic bars push pull activating bars or other hardware designed to provide passage without requiring the ability to grasp the opening hardware.
Exit door panic hardware requirements.
Above all equip doors with panic hardware and fire exit hardware.
Such device must be a minimum of one half the width of the door in length.
The ibc 2006 and 2009 editions requires panic hardware and or fire exit hardware on egress doors with an occupant load of 50 people or more in the following.
Panic hardware cannot be used on a fire door because of the danger of trapping people inside during a fire.
Sometimes panic hardware is called fire exit hardware or they may be referred to as egress doors.
Hardware consisting of bars that extend to at least half of the width of the door leaf.
Panic hardware is an exit device that has been tested to ul 305 requirements and allows simple egress by use of a crash bar push bar etc.
An applied force of 15 pounds should be enough to release the latch.
For example this should not be less than 30 inches and not more than 44 inches above the floor.
The use of panic hardware and or fire exit hardware is required by the international building code ibc and nfpa 101 the life safety code depending on which code and which edition of the code is being referenced.
Code publications define panic hardware as a door latching assembly incorporating a device that releases the latch upon the application of a force.
Panic hardware also known as an exit device or fire exit hardware when used on fire doors is designed to provide fast and easy egress to allow building occupants to exit safely in an emergency.
Door latching assembly incorporating a device which releases the latch upon application of a force in the direction of exit travel.
The bar unlatches the door s latching mechanism on both ends allowing the door to swing freely in the direction of egress.
Understanding code requirements for panic hardware.
Basically if a door doesn t have a lock with a push pull or a latch the door is not legally required to need panic hardware.
Panic hardware is just like it sounds.
A rim panic device is surface mounted on the door with the latch projecting from the panic device rather than the door edge.