Businesses big and small must comply with building codes, local laws and industry standards pertaining to commercial doors. Compliant commercial doors maximize occupant safety in an emergency – and minimize the odds of hefty fines following code inspections.

Advance Door Co. can assist customers in choosing Cleveland commercial doors that are compliant with building codes and industry standards.

Fire safety is a primary concern in the workplace. According to FEMA, every year there are approximately 16,500 office and store fires, resulting in hundreds of millions in property damage. For most commercial and industrial buildings, OSHA requires two or more permanent exit routes for emergencies, though smaller workplaces may be allowed to have a single exit route.

Commercial Doors & Exit Routes

The main objective of exit routes is to provide occupants a safe and efficient means of egress, or escape. Means of egress is defined as “a continuous and unobstructed path of vertical and horizontal egress travel from any occupied portion of a building or structure to a public way.” A commercial door is one component of this “means of egress.”

In general, a means of egress has three parts: exit access, the exit, and exit discharge.

• Exit access is the interior path such as hallways, corridors, aisles or other paths that lead to the exit. 
• Exit is the area that separates the interior of the building from the outside, where a door or opening is present. This must be a minimum width depending on the type of door to allow persons to exit quickly and safely.
• Exit discharge is the path leading from the exit to a safe area outside of the building by way of a walking path such as a sidewalk, driveway, or walkway.  

The exit access cannot be blocked by storage of boxes or other items. The exit discharge (usually a door) should be free of trip hazards and easy to open from the inside. Generally speaking, the threshold can’t be higher than ½ inch. Exit discharge exterior walkways must be kept clear of fall hazards, snow, ice, or other obstructions.

Understanding Fire Doors

Fire doors play an important role in stopping the spread of fires. Fire doors, along with fire rated walls, ceilings, and floors, help to slow down the spread of fire, smoke, and toxic gases. Fire doors can be either residential or commercial doors. In commercial buildings, they’re generally needed where a door opening exists in a fire wall.

Although a fire door has a similar name to a fire exit, it differs from a fire exit because a fire door is an interior door only. Its purpose is to contain fire so that it does not spread from one room to another. Fire doors are made of fire resistant materials such as steel, glass, and fiberglass and should contain an affixed plate indicating its fire rating duration. The most common fire rating is 30 minutes (FD30). These doors usually contain intumescent strips around the door, which will actually expand when exposed to high temperatures, sealing the door tightly and keeping smoke and fire from rapidly spreading.

As dictated by the NFPA 101 codes, fire doors should have highly visible EXIT signs and emergency lights present. The NFPA also has requirements for the amount of exits required for the size and occupancy of the room. Small rooms may need only one exit, and larger rooms require two or more. For a building that holds more than 50 people, OSHA requires that exit doors should open with the flow of traffic, which means that in an emergency situation the door will swing out. Fire doors are required to be unlocked from the inside and require no special knowledge or tools to open. 

The traditional type of fire door is the self-closing fire door. Self closing fire doors must never be held open or prevented from closing automatically as doing so will allow fires to spread through stairwells or hallways, rendering the fire door ineffective. They must remain latched if designed to stay closed as pressure differences caused by a fire can push the door open.  

If there is a need for a door to stay open but close in the event of a fire, an automatic fire door offers more advanced capability. It can stay open during normal operation but close itself if a fire is detected, by an integrated smoke detector or link to a fire protection system. Power operated fire doors can open and close automatically, and close shut, disconnected from power in the event of a fire. The specific code requirements usually follow the guidelines in NFPA 80. 

For those looking to replace older Cleveland commercial doors, it’s a good idea to review the latest code regulations first. It’s possible the rules may have been updated since your doors were first installed.

Fire Exit Doors

Fire exit doors are a final exit door, leading to the outside. This is the exit discharge component of a means of egress. These doors are not generally fire rated, as their main job is to allow quick escape from the inside of a building, while remaining locked from the outside. Typically this type of door will have a push or panic bar on the inside to allow for ease of opening. The door will swing out so that the flow of traffic is unimpeded.

Experts on Cleveland Commercial Doors

If you aren’t sure what kind of door you need, contact the experts at Advance Door and we can assist in choosing the best option.  We can also inspect your existing fire doors to ensure that hardware, electronics and interconnecting safety systems are working properly. There are minimum standards set by organizations such as the IBC (International Building Code) and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), but localities can impose more stringent requirements. The rules can become more strict when dealing with industrial facilities where machinery and high voltage equipment are present.

If you are in need of a repair or upgrade, or aren’t sure if your equipment is up to code, we can help.

Advance Door Co. provides commercial door products, services, repairs, and replacements to customers throughout Northeast Ohio, including Cleveland, Parma, and surrounding communities.

Additional Resources:

Emergency Exit Routes, OSHA Fact Sheet. March 2018

NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, National Fire Protection Association, 2025

Exit Routes and Emergency Planning, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, June 2011

More Blog Entries:   

How Do I Know if My Cleveland Commercial Door Needs Repaired or Replaced? Advance Door Blog, September 28, 2022