Why? Because it’s easier and less expensive to secure the door when you don’t consider codes or safety.
Thank you to Andrew Harris of Willis Klein for today’s Wordless Wednesday photo.
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WW: School Security
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Do you know if the latches extend anymore? I could see it being a cheap (although wrong) approach to keeping them shut. I only as because the whole opening looks rather old and I can see at least a corner bracket closer broke off.
I don’t know whether the panic hardware is working properly, but it needs to be repaired/upgraded, not chained and padlocked.
I completely agree. Maybe to some panic push pad rim devices that cannot be chained shut like that. Though if they’re really determined they would drill into them and chain them again as you’ve already posted similar pictures to that respect. Either way unless they are educated or forced nothing can be done.
The orange panic-bar yoke photographed there is something I’ve seen used in real life. I used to work at a high school that made extensive use of these, and the building supervisor removed them all before anyone showed up. They’re marked “LIFT TO EXIT”, and while they defeat panic hardware, they just add a motion to opening the door. They’re also marked “UNOCCUPIED USE ONLY”.
Terrible idea? Yes. Why were they used? Reality and politics. The school district’s maintenance department failed to properly maintain doors, and work orders went straight into a black hole. Outside doors were so loose fitting that a good tug on the outside handle would cause the latch to pop off the strike, and the door would just open. This defect was already responsible for the loss of a piano, as someone entered the auditorium at night through a not-really-locked door and pushed a piano off the stage.
A lot of these exterior doors had been replaced since the building was built in the 1930s, but the original wood door framed remained in place, which was likely part of the problem.