door opening fire hazzard?

[driverdale1]

not sure where to post this question , thought here was nearest to it , ok what it is, weve just moved into a private housing association flat, it only has the 1 main door, now some bright spark decided when the refurbishment was being done to put the electric meters in a small cupboard behind this door, which only allows it to open about 2 thirds of the way, we had to take the door off when furniture is being delivered, now im wondering about the legality of this door as if there was a fire it would certainly be a hinderence getting out and a fireman with equipment getting in.....anyone know about these things or where i could go to ask?...thanks in advance

[Diamondson]

Firstly, to be an efective (legal) fire exit the door MUST open the full 90deg.

Your first port of call has to be back to the property owners,though surely they should be aware of the situation an should not have let it go in the first place.

If you get no joy there then I would contact your local Fire Service Liason Office. He will advise you and might even bring some pressure to bare on the Housing Association for you.

[LoungeLizard]

I doubt it would constitute a fire hazard because of the small number of people who would have to go through it in the event of a fire.

However, an eletric meter should not be installed where it's going to get banged by a door or where it may get in the way of normal people movement.

I suspect there may be a breach of building regulations; certainly it will be a breach of the meter installation instructions so the installation is likely to fail on electrical standards.

In the first instance, I would contact your landlord and explain that the door bangs into the meter as part of the door's normal opening action.

If nothing is done it may damage the meter housing and create an electrical hazard.

[stanleyman]

Mrs. Stanleyman who is a Health and Safety Consultant says that in a multi occupancy building this will be the main fire exit to the communal area. The fire exit must not be obstructed in any way. She suggests you first contact the housing association and ask them to rectify the situation straight away. If they do not respond quickly, contact the Fire Service who will come and have a look. The building should have a Fire Certificate.