Reducing the spread of fire, heat and smoke

You should ensure that any holes in fire-resisting floors or walls, e.g. pipe work openings, are filled in with fire-resisting materials in order to prevent the spread of fire, heat and smoke. You should make sure that any large area of combustible wall or ceiling linings is either removed, treated or suitably covered to reduce the possibility of the linings contributing to the rapid spread of fire. Such linings must not be used in escape routes. (Information on the suitability of wall and ceiling linings can be found in the Home Office publication Guide to the fire precautions in existing places of work that require a fire certificate. Factories, offices, shops and railway premises .

Exhibitions and displays

Any exhibition or display with large amounts of flammable materials, such as paper, textiles and cotton wool, can allow fire to spread rapidly. You should therefore avoid using such materials wherever possible. Any permanent or semi-permanent displays, including wall displays, should ideally be placed behind glass. Notice boards should be kept as small as possible and should be fixed securely in position. They should not be continuous along the length of a wall, sited above heaters etc or contain an excessive amount of paper (e.g. overlapping or multi-sheet notices).

Defining the escape route

The contents of any room in which people are working or any open floor area to which the public are admitted should be arranged to ensure that there is a clear passageway to all escape routes. This may mean that you will need to clearly define the routes, for example by marking the floor or by providing a contrasting floor covering.

Items prohibited on an escape route

You should make sure that items which pose a potential fire hazard or those which could cause an obstruction are not located in corridors or stairways intended for use as a means of escape. In particular, the following items should not be located in protected routes, or in a corridor and stairwell which serves as the sole means of escape from the workplace, or part of it:

• portable heaters of any type;
• heaters which have unprotected naked flames or radiant bars;
• fixed heaters using a gas supply cylinder, where the cylinder is within the escape route;
• oil-fuelled heaters or boilers;
• cooking appliances;
• upholstered furniture;
• coat racks;
• temporarily stored items including items in transit, e.g. furniture, beds, laundry, waste bins etc;
• lighting using naked flames;
• gas boilers, pipes, meters or other fittings (except those permitted in the standards supporting the building regulations and installed in accordance with the 'Gas Safety Regulations');
• gaming and/or vending machines; and
• electrical equipment (other than normal lighting, emergency escape lighting, fire alarm systems, or equipment associated with a security system), e.g. photocopiers.