Get the hardware on a fire exit wrong and you have two problems at once: a door that could fail the people trying to escape through it, and a compliance breach that sits squarely on whoever is responsible for the building. The choice between the two main standards — BS EN 1125 and BS EN 179 — is not a matter of preference. It is decided by who uses the building and how likely a panic is. This guide explains the difference in plain terms, so you can tell at a glance whether the device on your exit is the right one.
Every escape and final-exit door has one non-negotiable job: it must let people out instantly, in the dark, under stress, without a key and without needing to think. That is the whole point of dedicated exit hardware — it converts “find the right key and turn it” into “push and go”. The two British Standards both deliver that, but they are built for two different kinds of building.
BS EN 1125 covers panic exit devices: horizontal push bars and touch bars. It is the standard for premises used by the public, where people may not know the building, may not have seen the exit before, and could form a crowd under pressure — shops, shopping centres, venues, places of entertainment, schools and other places of assembly.
The device is designed to release the moment a crowd presses against it, with no prior knowledge required. The bar has to span a meaningful width of the door so that someone pushed against it anywhere along its length still triggers the release. A touch bar is a refinement of the push bar that removes the gap behind the bar, so nobody can catch an arm behind it in a crush.
BS EN 179 covers emergency exit devices: lever handles and push pads. It is the standard for premises used by people who know the building and the escape route and are unlikely to panic — offices, workshops, factories and other staff-only spaces where occupants have, in effect, been shown the way out.
Because a panic surge is not the expected scenario, a lever or pad is acceptable: it still opens with a single deliberate action and no key, but it does not need to handle the crowd-crush case that a push bar is built for.
If members of the public use the space and might panic, you need BS EN 1125 panic hardware (a bar). If only people who know the building use it, BS EN 179 emergency hardware (a lever or pad) is appropriate.
The deciding factor is the risk of panic, which comes down to occupancy:
A single building can need both — a customer-facing front entrance to BS EN 1125 and a staff back-of-house exit to BS EN 179. The assessment is door-by-door, not building-wide.
Compliant hardware is certified and marked — in the UK look for UKCA marking (or CE, depending on the product and transition rules), backed by the standard’s classification. An unmarked or wrongly-specified device on a critical exit is a genuine risk: it may not perform when it matters, it may be less durable, and it will not satisfy a fire-risk assessment. Both standards also require clear fitting and maintenance instructions, and set limits on the forces involved — a device that has stiffened with age or been adjusted badly can quietly drift out of compliance even though it “still works”.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for a non-domestic premises must keep escape routes and exits usable at all times. Fitting and maintaining the correct exit hardware is part of meeting that duty. This guide is general information to help you recognise the right device — your fire-risk assessment is what determines the specific requirements for your building.
Exit hardware is mechanical and it is used hard, so it needs checking. Bars and pads that have gone stiff, latches that no longer re-engage cleanly, and doors that have dropped on their hinges all undermine a device that was perfectly compliant the day it was fitted. A periodic check — and prompt repair — keeps your exits both safe and signed off.
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Specifying, fitting and certifying exit hardware to the correct standard is everyday work for a commercial locksmith. Every LocksmithLocal locksmith can assess each escape door, fit the right UKCA-marked device for its risk level, and keep your existing hardware maintained and compliant. See our commercial locksmith services for the full picture, or find your local locksmith to arrange a look.
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