What is an emergency exit in an office?

In everyday language, almost any door used to escape from a building may be described as an emergency exit. From a legal and technical perspective, the terminology is more precise.

An escape route is the route by which people can travel from an occupied location to a place of safety. The term escape door is commonly used for a door forming part of that route.

The Dutch Building Works Decree for the Living Environment (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving, or Bbl) also uses a specific concept comparable to an emergency-only exit door: a door intended exclusively for leaving a building in an emergency. An ordinary entrance or circulation door can form part of an escape route without automatically being an emergency-only door. This distinction is relevant when determining which requirements apply.

1. When does an office need an emergency exit?

The question “is an emergency exit compulsory in an office?” cannot be answered with one fixed threshold or a universal number of doors. An office must be arranged so that people can escape safely.

The necessary provisions depend on factors including:

• the building's use and whether new-build or existing-building requirements apply;
• the layout and size of the building;
• the number of people present;
• fire and sub-fire compartmentation;
• travel distances and the position of staircases and exits;
• the available escape routes and whether independent routes are required.

It is therefore incorrect to claim, without assessing the actual situation, that every office must have at least two emergency exits.

2. What requirements must an emergency exit meet?

The exact requirements depend on the building and its use. The following principles are essential in day-to-day management:

• the entire escape route remains free from obstructions;
• the door can be opened easily from the escape side;
• users do not depend on a loose key that first has to be located;
• the door hardware is suitable for the door and escape situation;
• required escape-route signs are visible and logically positioned;
• any emergency lighting is operational;
• security measures do not create an unacceptable restriction on escape.

Must an emergency exit door always open outwards?

No. The required direction of opening depends on factors including the number of people relying on the exit, the specific circumstances and whether new-build or existing-building requirements apply. A blanket statement that every emergency exit door must open outwards is therefore too simplistic. Under Dutch rules, an emergency-only exit door in a non-residential building may not be a sliding door.

3. How many emergency exits must an office have?

There is no general rule such as one emergency exit for every fifty employees. The required number of exits and escape routes follows from the occupancy, floor plan, compartmentation, travel distances and available exits. Some situations require multiple or independent escape routes.

The escape arrangements should be reassessed following alterations, a change of use, a significant increase in occupancy or a new office layout.

4. Requirements for office escape routes and doors

A safe emergency exit does not begin at the final external door. The entire route through the office, as well as the area outside the exit, must remain usable. Do not place boxes, stock, printers, cupboards, bicycles or waste containers in or in front of an escape route.

Include the outside of every exit in periodic inspections. An external obstruction is often invisible from inside the office.

5. Can an emergency exit be locked?

The occupational-safety principle is that an emergency exit must be capable of being opened while the workplace is in use and that doors along escape routes must be easy to open from the inside.

This does not automatically mean that every door must remain permanently unlocked. An escape door can be secured against unauthorised entry or improper use, provided that the selected system is appropriate for the door and the applicable escape situation. Locking a door and keeping its key at reception is fundamentally different from providing suitable escape-door hardware that allows immediate opening from the escape side.

6. What roles do the Bbl and Dutch occupational-safety law play?

Building Works Decree for the Living Environment (Bbl)

The Bbl contains technical and operational rules for buildings in the Netherlands. These include provisions concerning safe escape in the event of fire, escape routes, doors, escape-route signs and emergency lighting. Requirements may differ according to the building's use and whether it is new or existing.

Dutch Working Conditions Act and Decree

Employers are responsible for providing a safe workplace. Dutch occupational-safety rules also address daily use: escape routes and emergency exits must remain clear, and doors along escape routes must be easy to open from the inside.

A building that was designed correctly can therefore become unsafe through storage, additional partitions, access-control systems or a change in use.

7. When are EN 179 and EN 1125 relevant?

EN 179 and EN 1125 are frequently relevant when selecting escape-door hardware. The correct choice is not determined solely by the fact that a building is an office. Users, occupancy and the potential for panic must also be considered.

The door, locking system and any electrical locking equipment may have to operate as a coordinated system. A label on a single component is not sufficient to establish that the complete door arrangement is suitable.

8. Emergency-exit signs and ISO 7010

An emergency-exit sign helps people recognise the correct direction of escape quickly. The Bbl determines when escape-route signs are required in the Netherlands. NEN-EN-ISO 7010 is relevant to standardised safety colours and graphical safety symbols.

Signs must correspond to the actual escape route, be visible from the direction of travel and remain adequately illuminated where required. Placing a green pictogram above an arbitrary door does not automatically turn that door into a compliant emergency exit.

9. Common mistakes in offices

• boxes, furniture or equipment obstructing the escape route;
• a door that can only be opened with a loose key;
• defective or unsuitable escape-door hardware;
• unclear, missing or incorrectly directed escape-route signs;
• a fire-resisting door being held open with a doorstop;
• bicycles, containers or deliveries blocking the outside of an exit;
• an emergency exit being used as a routine staff or smoking exit;
• access control being added without an integrated assessment.

10. Preventing misuse without restricting safe escape

Securing an emergency exit does not mean making it more difficult to escape. A combination of a clear deterrent, audible signalling and controlled operation is often more effective.

Audible emergency-exit alarm

An alarm warns the user that the door is not intended for everyday traffic and alerts building management or security personnel when it is used. Depending on the system, door status and alarm messages can also be transmitted remotely.

Mechanical emergency-exit security

Specialist systems fitted around a lever handle or panic bar create a clear visual and mechanical deterrent while still allowing the door to be operated in an emergency. GfS Exit Control 179 and 1125 are examples for different types of hardware.

Electronic escape-door security

In buildings with central monitoring or access control, electronic systems can combine emergency release, door-status monitoring, alarms and system interfaces. The GfS SMARTTerminal is one example.

Important: do not add an arbitrary lock, magnet or access-control system to an escape door. First establish the function of the door and the requirements that apply to the specific situation.

Checklist: is your office emergency exit in order?

• The entire escape route is free from obstructions.
• The escape door opens easily from the escape side.
• No loose key has to be found before the door can be opened.
• The direction of opening and clear width are suitable for the situation.
• The hardware is suitable for the users and escape situation.
• The relevance of EN 179 or EN 1125 has been assessed.
• Escape-route signs are visible and logically positioned.
• Emergency lighting and any alarm system are operational.
• The outside of the exit is also kept clear.
• The door and security equipment are inspected and tested periodically.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further information

• Information Point for the Living Environment (IPLO): Bbl
• Arboportaal: safe workplaces
• NEN: safety signs and graphical symbols
• Emergency-exit legislation at Nooduitgang.nl

This page provides general information on Dutch regulations and practical management advice. The requirements applying to a particular building, escape route or door must always be determined from the actual circumstances, the applicable rules and, where relevant, the approved fire-safety strategy.