Emergency exits open in the wrong direction Escape route deficiencies in 40 Bonn kindergartens
Bonn · The majority of municipal kindergartens do not meet the legal requirements. The city assures that there is no risk even in case of fire. But the highest administrative court in North Rhine-Westphalia considers such emergency exits to be a permanent danger.
In the majority of municipal day-care centres in Bonn, the escape routes do not meet the legal requirements. "It has been known for years that many escape doors cannot be opened to the outside - as prescribed - but only to the inside," reports a source from the Bonn Municipal Building Management (SGB). In 2013, the youth welfare office had already sounded the alarm internally - but nothing had happened to the doors. In a similar case in Münsterland, the district government there prohibited a company from continuing to operate an office building floor for safety reasons. The Higher Administrative Court (OVG) confirmed this decision.
City carries out evacuation exercises
The city of Bonn takes a more relaxed view of the issue. "In about 40 of the city's 70 daycare buildings, the escape doors open inwards," confirms Isabel Klotz from the press office. "This direction is not right from the point of view of occupational safety." However, there is no danger for children and teachers in case of fire. The regulation that escape doors must open in the direction of escape - i.e. outwards - is in the Workplace Ordinance (see "Clear requirements"). "However, the fire brigade and fire protection authorities clearly state that there are no requirements regarding the opening direction from a fire protection point of view," Klotz emphasises.
Evacuation exercises had taken place in various affected kindergartens. It was checked "to what extent the emergency exit doors opening inwards have a direct influence on the duration of the evacuation". This was not the case. Regardless of this, according to the press office, it is planned to gradually retrofit the doors. "This could not be done so far due to the high capacity utilisation of the SGB," Klotz informs. This only concerns the emergency exits to the outside or a secured area - and not "all room doors and fire doors in the escape route, as is often falsely claimed". However, the Workplace Ordinance states otherwise. Depending on the risk assessment, other doors must also open "in the direction of escape".
The OVG interpreted the ordinance strictly in January 2018 (case number 8 A 1648/16). A company had resisted the requirement of the Münster district government to convert a door that led to the staircase on the fourth floor and could only be opened inwards. Even the argument that a maximum of seven people would use this exit did not convince the highest NRW administrative judges.
An "emergency exit door that cannot be opened in the direction of escape", according to the reasons for the judgement, "always poses a risk to employees". And further: "If a fire broke out... the employees working on the fourth floor and any visitors would be threatened with considerable harm to life or health if an escape door were used that was installed in contravention of the regulations.“
Cologne district government knows nothing about defects
The fire brigade and municipal occupational health and safety officers are responsible for inspections in the day-care centres in Bonn. "Spot checks are also carried out by the supervisors of the Accident Insurance Fund and the Cologne District Government," explains spokesperson Isabel Klotz. However, the supervisory authority knows nothing about the emergency exit doors in the kindergartens in Bonn, which can only be opened inwards, as a GA enquiry reveals.
"Emergency exit doors must be able to be opened outwards," affirms spokesman Dennis Heidel. "If an employer wishes to deviate from this regulation, a written application for approval of an exception must be submitted to the Cologne district government for this purpose."
Original text: Andreas Baumann
Translation: Mareike Graepel
