Fire, Safety, ADA Regulations for Locksmiths

[Raccoon]

I should have created this thread long ago. Basically, I'd like to try and collect as many regulation resources into one place that may pertain to locksmiths. This should include globally accepted standards, as well as national/local regulations for a given region, and where a locksmith should go to find regulations that pertain to their specific area.

Some regulations to consider are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Fire codes and other safety standards, as well as State & Federal laws pertaining to physical security requirements of a public building.

Let me give some examples:

It may be illegal to install double cylinder deadbolts on an exterior door, due to local fire safety regulations.

It may be illegal to masterkey a storage room that contains student records, medical files, or other state protected documents. There may even be minimum security standards which regulate the type of locks installed.

If doing work on a public building or apartment complex, there may be handicap requirements to consider, such as lever handles and flush thresholds.


But where is there an all-in-one resource for this type of information? Which state or local government office does one petition for these region specific regulations?

[Shrub]

I like this, rather like the lockpicking law thread,

I have a few suggestions,

Can we all make sure that the country and region where needed is specified along with where the info was gained and how upto date it is,

For example,

A post saying........

You cant have a lever lock on a fire door,

Would be a total waste of time,


A post saying.........

In the Uk a lever lock is not allowed to be fitted to a fire door,
This is from the goverment saftey papers and is in force to present day with the rules being made in 1995,

Would be a great post,



If we can standardise the info for a quicker look up it would be great, such as............

Country -
State -
Rule or regulation -
Where info found -
When rule or regulation passed -


If we keep to the headings and in the same order it would save Raccoon reading uk rules and me reading us rules for example if you see what i mean,


All the above are examples and only suggestions,
Racc if you dont like them say so and ill butt out otherwise an orderly posting habbit would make this a great, needed and important thread i reckon

[Raccoon]

No, I wholly agree with you Shrub. I just cringe at your double-spacing.

And lets not forget books and locksmithing manuals or training courses which cover this type of information. It would be very useful to determine all sources of this, I consider vital, information.

So yes, everyone please cite your sources.

[Shrub]

I just cringe at your double-spacing.

I could have been funny and made this last 3 pages with 30 spaces between each word but i wont

I was trying to keep it set out clearer for our, lets say, not too observant members who would simply put things like 'you cant masterkey a lock without the customer knowing' and nothing else, i believe space things and they get read more thoroughly

[Jryanruch]

http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/firecom/guide ... /guide.pdf

[Bump]

Fire regulations in the UK apply, in the main, to commercial or run for profit properties, a number of British Standards (BS) apply to certain security products when fitted such as frequency and type of use, by whome and where.

In effect a risk assessment needs to be carried out by a "Competent Person" and once the hazards have been identified then an action plan is agreed to mitigate those risks. Notice I didn't say eliminate the risks. The only "regulation", which is actually a guidance, regarding the type of security fitting is......Quote: "Emergency doors and exits must not be locked or fastened that they cannot be easily and immediately opened by any person who may need to use them in an emergency."

That translates into anything you want that satisfies the spirit of the guidance with regard to risk/sacrifice. (This means money time and effort.)

The problem in fitting thumb turners adjacent to a letterbox can be mitigated by using an appropriate letterbox shroud but why are mortice locks and deadlocking rim latches promoted as secure by the lock companies when clearly they dont meet the above criteria.

There has been much discussion by locksmiths on this topic on other forums and we still have no respite from potential liability. In a domestic situation fit the lock the customer wants, in a commercial situation you can just ask to see the Risk Assessment regarding egress and lock types that have been identified as appropriate for that environment......then see your contract float out of the window.

[Jryanruch]

Sorry.. connection went down before I could post the rules for:
http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/firecom/guide ... /guide.pdf
British Columbia, Canada as of Now.

1. Entrance/Exit doors with double cylinder and/or captive key locks are not permitted.

2. An electric operated bolt engaging a fixed receptacle is not permitted under any circumstance, since it may fail locked in a position which prevents egress.

3. Turn pieces which release a locking bolt on an entrance/exit door should release the bolt with not more than a 90 degree turn (a single action).