This question came up recently and I’m doing some research on the answer.  I’m wondering if any of you have insight.  If you do, please leave a comment!

Using this partial plan as a reference and assuming this electrical room requires panic hardware, the question is whether one or both of the highlighted doors require panic hardware in order to comply with the International Building Code (IBC) or the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70).

I don’t want to influence your decision, so here’s the IBC section to ponder:

1010.2.8.2 Rooms with electrical equipment. Exit or exit access doors serving transformer vaults, rooms designated for batteries or energy storage systems, or modular data centers shall be equipped with panic hardware or fire exit hardware.  Rooms containing electrical equipment rated 800 amperes or more that contain overcurrent devices, switching devices or control devices and where the exit or exit access door is less than 25 feet (7620 mm) from the equipment working space as required by NFPA 70, such doors shall not be provided with a latch or lock other than panic hardware or fire exit hardware. The doors shall swing in the direction of egress travel.

WWYD?

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