Fire Escape Safety Advice

Fire Exit Safety Compliance for UK Businesses: Crucial Guidelines That Save Lives

Blocked or poorly managed fire exits are a serious and recurring risk across UK workplaces.

In a fire, seconds matter—and clear, usable escape routes can be the difference between a safe evacuation and a life-threatening situation.

For UK businesses, maintaining safe means of escape is a legal duty under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Responsible Persons must ensure escape routes are available, accessible, and usable at all times—not just on paper.

1) Keep Escape Routes and Final Exits Clear (Non-Negotiable)

The most effective control is also the simplest: nothing must obstruct escape. In reality, this is where many buildings fail—not through design, but through day-to-day use. Corridors become storage areas, items are left “temporarily,” and over time, routes are reduced without being noticed. This must be actively managed, not assumed.

• Keep corridors, stairwells, landings, and final exit doors completely clear

• Do not allow storage “just for a moment” near exits

• Ensure exit doors open easily and fully

• No keys, codes, or specialist knowledge required to exit

• Maintain full route width at all times

• Monitor high-risk areas like storerooms and receptions

This is achieved through strict housekeeping controls, supervision, and a clear message: escape routes are not usable space.

2) Make Exits Easy to Find: Signage and Emergency Lighting

A route is only effective if people can follow it under pressure. In real conditions—smoke, low light, unfamiliar environments—people rely entirely on what they can see. Poor signage placement or lighting failures often go unnoticed until it’s too late.

• Use clear fire exit signage with correct directional arrows

• Position signs at all decision points along the route

• Ensure signs are not obscured by fixtures or displays

• Provide emergency lighting across all escape routes

• Illuminate changes in direction and final exits

• Keep vision panels and route markers clear

This requires regular checks, practical walk-throughs, and viewing routes from the perspective of an unfamiliar observer.

3) Fire Doors: Keep Them Working and Never Wedge Them Open

Fire doors protect escape routes by holding back smoke and fire. In practice, they are often wedged open for convenience or left poorly maintained. This completely undermines their purpose and can render an escape route unusable within minutes.

• Ensure fire doors close fully and latch correctly

• Never wedge doors open

• Use compliant hold-open devices where needed

• Check seals, hinges, and door condition

• Ensure doors are not obstructed

• Maintain correct door alignment and closing speed

This is achieved through routine inspections, staff awareness, and the removal of the culture of “propping doors open.”

4) Routine Checks (and Record Them)

Fire safety is not static. Conditions change daily, and without checks, standards quickly slip. In reality, many issues are obvious—but only if someone is looking for them.

• Carry out regular walk-through inspections

• Check final exits open correctly

• Test panic hardware and door function

• Inspect emergency lighting and signage

• Identify trip hazards and obstructions

• Record findings and actions taken

Effective management means building these checks into daily or weekly routines, not relying on occasional audits.

5) Train Staff and Run Drills (So People Don’t Freeze)

People are a critical part of the evacuation process. Even with good routes, poor understanding or hesitation can cause delays. In practice, staff often underestimate their role in maintaining escape routes and responding in an emergency.

• Train staff on keeping routes clear

• Explain why fire exit safety matters

• Provide clear reporting lines for hazards

• Appoint fire wardens where appropriate

• Run regular fire drills

• Include all staff, including temps and contractors

This is achieved by making fire safety part of normal operations—not a one-off training exercise.

6) Plan for the “Exit You Can’t Use”

The nearest exit may be blocked by smoke or fire, meaning people must rely on alternatives. In reality, many buildings have secondary routes—but occupants don’t know them.

• Identify primary and secondary escape routes

• Ensure alternative routes are accessible and signed

• Display evacuation plans where needed

• Set and communicate assembly points

• Review plans after layout or use changes

Planning must assume failure and provide simple, clear alternatives that people can follow under pressure.

7) Prevent the Most Common Causes of Blocked Exits

Blocked exits are usually caused by routine activity—deliveries, cleaning, waste, or poor storage control. These are predictable issues and, therefore, preventable.

• Manage deliveries to avoid corridor storage

• Keep waste and recycling away from exits

• Create and enforce designated storage areas

• Clearly mark “no storage” zones

• Include checks in opening and closing routines

This is achieved through control, supervision, and consistent enforcement—not relying on individuals to “do the right thing.”

Fire Exit Safety: Where Compliance Becomes Life Safety

Fire exit safety is about more than compliance—it is about ensuring people can escape quickly, safely, and without hesitation. Clear routes, visible guidance, working fire doors, regular checks, and trained staff all contribute to a system that works when it matters most.

For Responsible Persons, this is a continuous responsibility. It requires oversight, discipline, and practical management. When done properly, it protects life and ensures evacuation works as intended.

Need help checking your fire exit compliance?

First Response Safety Group supports Responsible Persons, managing agents, and organisations in reviewing escape routes, signage, fire doors, and evacuation planning—delivering practical, compliant solutions that work in real buildings.

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Our fire risk assessors operate UK-wide and can be on site within 24 hours once commissioning is confirmed.

Author: Sheldon Russell-Priest MiFSM