What Counts as “Means of Escape” in a Commercial Refurbishment?
In short
Means of escape is the route people use to leave a building safely in a fire, from any point inside to a place of safety outside. It includes exits, corridors, protected stairs, fire doors, emergency lighting and signage, designed so that travel distances are limited and routes stay usable while people escape.
Means of escape is the design and construction that let everyone get out of a building safely if there is a fire. It is not just the fire exit door. It is the whole journey: from a desk, a treatment room or a stockroom, along a corridor, down a protected stair and out to a safe place in the open air. Every commercial refurbishment that changes the layout affects it.
What means of escape includes
- Escape routes: corridors, stairs and exits kept clear and of adequate width.
- Travel distances: limits on how far anyone has to walk to reach an exit or a protected route, depending on the use and whether there is a choice of direction.
- Protected stairs and corridors: enclosed in fire resisting construction to keep smoke out.
- Fire doors: self closing, correctly fitted and signed.
- Final exits: doors that open easily from inside, without keys, onto a safe route away from the building.
- Emergency lighting: lights routes when the power fails.
- Signage: clear, consistent directions to exits.
- Fire detection and alarm: early warning so escape starts promptly.
- Provision for disabled people: refuges, evacuation lifts or equipment where needed.
How refurbishments affect it
- New partitions can create dead ends, lengthen travel distances or produce inner rooms with no independent exit.
- Changes of use can increase occupancy, needing wider routes or more exits.
- Removing walls can open a protected corridor to an open plan floor.
- Changes to doors can remove self closers, add locks or reduce widths.
- Services work can breach fire compartmentation around protected routes.
The rules that apply
New work must comply with Part B of the Building Regulations, guided by Approved Document B, and is checked by building control. For occupied commercial premises, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to keep escape routes adequate and maintained, supported by a fire risk assessment. In multi tenanted buildings, the landlord’s fire strategy also applies, and any alteration will be reviewed under the licence for alterations.
Means of escape in homes
The same principle applies to houses. A loft conversion, for example, usually needs a protected stair route to the front door with fire doors to habitable rooms, which is why it is a key part of building regulations approval for lofts.
How we handle means of escape at London’s Prestige
On commercial refurbishments, we review the layout against the fire strategy before work starts, coordinate any changes with your fire engineer and building control, and keep escape routes open and safe while the building is in use. At handover, fire doors, emergency lighting, signage and alarms are tested and documented. Read our guide to Cat A and Cat B fit outs, see our commercial refurbishment service, and book a site visit to discuss your project.
Common questions
What is an inner room?
A room that can only be left by passing through another room. Inner rooms are restricted under building regulations because a fire in the outer room could trap occupants, so new partitions must be planned carefully.
Do escape routes need to stay open during refurbishment?
Yes, if the building is occupied. The contractor and responsible person must plan the work so that escape routes, alarms and emergency lighting remain effective throughout.
Who checks means of escape?
Building control checks new work against the Building Regulations. In occupied commercial premises, the responsible person maintains it, guided by a fire risk assessment.