Door Wedges

Q: Are there any particular requirements that prohibit use of wooden door wedges in a hospital facility?

A: Yes. Section 19.3.6.3.10 of the 2012 Life Safety Code says corridor doors shall not be held open by devices other than those that release when the door is pushed or pulled. Therefore, a wedge holding the corridor door open would ne be permitted because it would not release if the door was pushed or pulled. However, door wedges would be permitted on doors that were not required to self-close, corridor doors, smoke barrier doors, or fire-rated doors. So, doors inside a suite-of-rooms may be able to be wedged open as long as they were not required to self-close, a corridor door, a smoke barrier door, or a fire-rated door. But this is not a desirable thing to allow, even in areas where it is permitted as staff will not fully understand where they can and cannot wedge doors open.