Blocked entrance/exit at Sheffield near ticket office

[Feuillesmortes]

I have noticed that the entrance/exit near the ticket office in Sheffield is sometimes blocked by noticeboards.

They seem to prefer to use the second entrance/exit near Upper Crust.

It seems to me to be a possible fire risk - how can I check whether they are allowed to do this?

 

[yorkie]

I was at Sheffield yesterday so could have looked at this then; I am not an expert but I am a trained fire warden so do have a good idea of what may be a risk, but I am not sure when I will next be there.

If you have a concern you could contact South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue:

Contact - South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

Chief Fire Officer & Chief Executive: Chris Kirby For general enquiries and comments call: 0114 272 7202 or email: [email protected] To contact us about a Home Safety Check: e-mail: [email protected] or complete the form on our website here For Complaints and Compliments call: 0114 253...

www.syfire.gov.uk

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
197 Eyre Street
Sheffield
S1 3FG
For satnav use postcode: S1 3HU
Tel: 0114 272 7202
Fax: 0114 253 2266
Email: [email protected]

 

[Feuillesmortes]

Thank you. On this station plan there are three alternative exits (in green) so I guess not a big risk, however not everyone will know where the exits are.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/images/SMEHotspotDetails/SME_SHF/StationPlanThumbnail.jpg

 

[PupCuff]

It seems to be an EMR thing - Nottingham station seem to love randomly locking their fire exits out of use with no signs on the door to indicate that it's due to a fault or whatever and where the alternative nearest exit is.

I've been tempted to log it through the rail industry's safety reporting website (CIRAS) it a few times.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

By the sound of it what EMR (East Midlands Railway) are doing is highly dangerous, as you won't be able to evacuate the railway station safely should there ever be a fire - just imagine peak hour Monday morning or Friday evening peak added with a few intoxicants and what you have is an unfolding disaster before your very eyes.

 

[AndyMike]

I have noticed that the entrance/exit near the ticket office in Sheffield is sometimes blocked by noticeboards.

They seem to prefer to use the second entrance/exit near Upper Crust.

It seems to me to be a possible fire risk - how can I check whether they are allowed to do this?

I noticed this the other day as well. It’s long been a regular thing that not all those doors are open, but I can’t for the life of me think of a plausible reason.

 

[Harpers Tate]

If I had to guess - the reason would be bad weather esp. strong winds.

 

[yorksrob]

There are at least two other edits from the concourse as others have said. Two at the front and one by the taxi rank.

Of course, they do tend to block the one nearest the country end, which unfortunately means a longer walk to the Sheffield Tap.

 

[MCSHF007]

Also a (slightly) longer walk to the Interchange. It's a minor (but real) inconvenience when they do this.

 

[syorksdeano]

I believe that door is knackered and sometimes fails to shut or open.

It is a bit like the lift where "engineers" are aware and it will be repaired shortly..... Its been like 3 years maybe longer that it is getting repaired shortly

 

[YorksLad12]

I believe that door is knackered and sometimes fails to shut or open.

It is a bit like the lift where "engineers" are aware and it will be repaired shortly..... Its been like 3 years maybe longer that it is getting repaired shortly

If that's the left-hand door as you face the entrance - at least since early 2018, possibly late 2017. Always a nuisance on the way out as I had to cross the stream of people heading uphill to reach the crossing point opposite the entrance to head towards Ponds Forge. Eventually I discovered the tram stop entrance and avoided the crowds

 

[AndyMike]

If I had to guess - the reason would be bad weather esp. strong winds.

Yes, I had wondered about that, now you come to mention it.

 

[johnnychips]

It’s this one. It isn’t the wind; it has been failing on and off since the previous sliding doors were replaced by folding ones.

 

[mike57]

I cant see whats on the other side of the notice board but the common sense approach would be to have some sort of indication where alternative exits are. I would have thought the risk in an emergency is that people think the exit is available and it isn't rather than not having enough exits.

We had a very similar situation at one of the offices I worked in a couple of years ago (not rail related), there was an exit which looked like the the obvious one to use in the event of fire, but it was locked for security, and the Fire Officer insisted on clear signage. There was a perfectly adequate fire exit, just wasnt obvious, a sort of error trap, which is how a lot of events turn from non threatening to serious. If its been a problem for a while then put some proper signs up showing routes, you can get a A0 poster(s) printed on a plotter for a few pounds at a print shop.

 

[Feuillesmortes]

I cant see whats on the other side of the notice board

A big arrow showing the way to M&S Food!

 

[Dr Hoo]

As a regular user of Sheffield I was always struck by the number of people smoking or vaping immediately outside the said folding doors. Quite apart from understandably dissuading many passengers from even attempting to use the doors for their intended purpose this also had the effect of making the doors 'cycle' continuously as the smokers lounged around leaning on the security bollards. So they probably just wore out in a matter of months.

 

[P Binnersley]

Judging by this photo the doorway is signed as an emergency exit.

Sheffield station work complete with new flooring and new doors from East Midlands Railway

East Midlands Railway has announced that it has installed new tiling on Sheffield station's concourse, ready in time for passengers to be welcomed back when lockdown restrictions are eased.

www.railadvent.co.uk

It may or may not need to be an emergency exit; but if they sign it as an emergency exit they have to keep it clear.

 

[dosxuk]

Emergency exits can be taken out of use for being unserviceable. The fire and evacuation guidelines take this into account and capacity limits for licenced premises are also based on a proportion of exits being unavailable.

Even on the most disrupted wintery days I've never seen the concourse at Sheffield busy enough that I would have any concern about one exit route being closed for genuine reasons, especially since the next exit is only a few metres away.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Nice to see the 'smoker gauntlet' well captured by the camera in the link from the @P Binnersley post.

 

[CHAPS2034]

Of course, they do tend to block the one nearest the country end, which unfortunately means a longer walk to the Sheffield Tap.

Skillfully designed to make you even thirstier by the time you get there...

 

[yorksrob]

Skillfully designed to make you even thirstier by the time you get there...

Now that would be a conspiracy