Guidance on Notice Boards and Posters in Corridors.
also including guidance on pigeon holes and similar materials.
Introduction.
This document is provided to guide departments on the arrangements that should be in place
to prevent posters and notice boards in corridors from becoming a fire hazard. The advice in
this guide is based on Fire Brigade guidance and published documentation.
For guidance on furniture items (such as lockers) see the separate guidance sheet on
“Guidance on furniture in corridors”.
The guidance covers University buildings that satisfy the following criteria.
•
The building has a fire alarm system that includes automatic fire detection
(smoke detectors etc. as part of the system). The system does not need to be
connected to the fire call centre or the University Security Control Room,
although this is desirable.
•
The building covers more than two occupied levels (e.g. ground, first and
second floors, or first, ground and basement).
•
The building has several means of escape (i.e. not a single staircase building).
•
The buildings are used for teaching / research / offices and NOT sleeping
accommodation.
Examples of buildings to which this guidance applies.
a)
Those buildings where the corridors are all fire protected and conform to the
“class 0” type. Examples of the buildings in this list are the Medical School,
Claremont Tower, Herschel Building.
b)
Buildings that are not of the modern ‘engineered’ style but that have similar
large occupancies and cover several floors. Examples of buildings in this
category are the Armstrong Building, Architecture Building.
c)
Buildings that are comprised of rows of former terrace houses - or adapted
houses where there are several ways out of the building. Examples include
Kensington and Park Terraces, and Framlington Place.
This guide is not suitable for application to other buildings not complying with these
requirements (such as accommodation buildings, adapted houses with only one staircase,
buildings with no fire alarm system). Further information will need to be sought from the
University Safety Office in the event of notice boards in corridors being an issue.
Author : Vincent Theobald : - : Original Document Date : 17/09/2001 08:24:00
Printed Date : 13/09/2006 19:50:00 : - : File name : posters-guide-draft.doc
The problem
There is perceived to be a potential problem with excessive material on notice boards (and fly
posting) or poorly placed boards which may hamper escape from the building or even cause /
assist the spread of fire. Although there is no known case of a fire at the University being
caused or exacerbated by notice boards pigeon holes etc. the guidance received by the
University from the Fire Brigade and consultants indicates that this is a risk that requires to be
strictly controlled.
There are departments which have a history of placing excessive amounts of material on
boards or walls. This makes the risks much more serious and may ultimately lead to the
University experiencing a fire where notice boards contribute to the seriousness of the fire or
are even the source of a fire (e.g. from arson). This is clearly undesirable.
In addition to this overloaded notice boards are not a useful way to display important material
that everybody needs to know about - untidy boards tend not to get read and are therefore
principally self defeating.
The solutions
Posters and notices (even short publications) should only be placed on official notice boards.
These will need to be affixed to the wall and made of a suitable construction not including
any particularly flammable materials. Ideally they should be of a fire resisting construction
with a glazed front panel though this is not absolutely required.
The only exception to this are
a)
official safety signs as dictated in national guidance, and
b)
temporary signs and notices used to aid new students to navigate,
persons to get to conferences etc. (In these cases the signs must be
placed as sparingly as possible, and be laminated or secured in each
corner so as to prevent them from flapping.)
Permanent signs, normally of metal or high density plastics that are installed in
buildings to aid navigation round the building. These are not included in the definition
of posters and notices.
Notice boards should only be provided under the following conditions. If any further
guidance on these conditions is required please contact the University Safety Office.
The corridor offers escape in both directions (i.e. is not a dead end).
The corridor has smoke detection (preferably more than one detector head) in the
section that is to be used for notice boards.
The boards are located away from heaters / radiators.
Author : Vincent Theobald : - : Original Document Date : 17/09/2001 08:24:00
Printed Date : 13/09/2006 19:50:00 : - : File name : posters-guide-draft.doc
Only one side of the corridor is used for notice boards - and the other side is clear of
obstructions.
The corridor is more than 1050mm wide at it narrowest point.
The corridor must not be part of a protected stairwell or a protected lobby for an
escape stairwell.
If a corridor meets the above criteria then a board may be provided. However the board will
need to be suitably managed. It is advised that the following is followed.
All material is regularly reviewed for currency and old material removed. Once a
week would be a good initial period of review - with experience then indicating if this
is adequate or if it may be reduced.
Official material placed on the boards is marked with an approval and date.
If the notice board is to be made available for student notices etc. then it will require
more vigorous management. It is therefore suggested that student notice boards are
placed in rooms not in corridors. By doing this a considerably higher degree of
flexibility is possible.
Notice boards in corridors are not used for dispensing leaflets.
It is noted that the Fire Brigade has shown a substantially higher degree of leniency for the
fire protected notice boards with glazed fronts. These also offer easier management as they
are less prone to fly posing or excessive material being pined up.
In buildings where there are specific fire evacuation stairs or stairs that are built to the
‘protected stairwell standards it is not permitted to have any posters, notice boards or other
‘furniture’ in those areas. Guidance on identifying these stairs and lobbies is available from
the University Safety Office.
Other related issues
Lockers
There is a separate guidance on furniture items “Guidance on furniture in corridors”.
Pigeon holes
These are frequently provided for staff and student post. Wherever possible these
should not be in corridors in buildings of this type. In any case no wire cage type
pigeon holes are to be in corridors. The Fire Brigade has also expressed a strong
preference for steel pigeon holes over wooden ones.
Any pigeon holes that are to remain in corridors must be in safe locations - i.e. in
corridors with fire detection (preferably two or more detector heads present in that
Author : Vincent Theobald : - : Original Document Date : 17/09/2001 08:24:00
Printed Date : 13/09/2006 19:50:00 : - : File name : posters-guide-draft.doc
part of the corridor) and they must be managed to prevent the build-up of post, for
example by removal of post for colleagues who are away from the department.
The provision of new pigeon holes must be subject to assessment in accordance with
the requirements above.
Student Essay Boxes.
These are acceptable (in accordance with the same conditions as Notice Boards)
provided that they do not cause obstruction to the corridor width. They should only be
available for use when there are essays etc. due for submission, and they should be
sealed again after final collection of submitted material. If the submission period is
long then the boxes should be regularly emptied so as to prevent a build up of
material.
Bookcases and filing cabinets
These cannot be accepted in corridors in these types of buildings.
Protected lobbies and stairwells
This guidance makes reference to protected lobbies and stairwells - which form part of
evacuation routes. It is important that these areas are especially free of anything that can burn
as it is part of the function of a protected route to be as safe as possible in all fire cases.
Therefore no posters notice boards or other ‘furniture’ or storage of materials can be accepted
in these areas. Further guidance on this is available from the University Safety Office.
A protected stairwell is a stair that is closed from the accommodation parts of the building on
every floor. All floors (other than the top floor) must also have a lobby that is separated from
the main accommodation areas of the building. The purpose of this is to provide two smoke
doors between the stairwell and the fire so that people in the stairwell evacuating the building
are protected from the fire and smoke, and so that smoke is prevented from spreading through
the building.
The corridors (and ‘accommodation’ stairways not included above) that must still be kept
clear of obstruction and excessive fire hazard materials. This is why this guide is required,
and why the companion guide “Guidance on furniture in corridors” is provided. Safe escape
can only be assured if corridors and stairways are maintained in accordance with these two
guides.
Author : Vincent Theobald : - : Original Document Date : 17/09/2001 08:24:00
Printed Date : 13/09/2006 19:50:00 : - : File name : posters-guide-draft.doc