Environmental Health & Safety Office

Door Stops

The Department of Public Safety, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, inspected all College buildings on January 15, 2002.  The Department has ordered that door stops are not to be used on fire doors.  Fire doors are doors to staircases, as well as double doors in corridors.  They are designed to provide a safe exit out of a building in the event of a fire.  The doors, when closed, allow a person safe access out of a building through a staircase.

Most fire doors on campus are equipped with "smoke-check" devices, and are self-closing when the fire alarm sounds.  These doors are allowed to remain open.  At no time should these doors be held open by a door stop.

Other buildings, such as Crocker Hall and Hemenway Hall, do not have automatic closers.  These staircase doors must always be closed, and should never be propped open with door stops.

If you have any questions, please call Maureen Bagge Fowler at extension 4633.