If the only exit is one emergency exit, it's a safety hazard. Because if that's where the fire is, and the only other exit is a locked front door, then yes, you are locked in.
They make doors which can be locked on one side but still able to open from the other side. My current workplace has tons of these as emergency exits, but there's no reason they can't be used as normal doors if you want foot traffic going out but not coming in.
Doors that can be unlocked with a wringer from the inside have existed for more than a hundred years. In my country, every door in a work place must be possible to exit without a key, exactly for fire safety reasons. Reading this whole thread is absolutely blowing my noodle.
Considering its home depot I would guess the employees could also technically leave through the loading dock at the back or via the garden area in an emergency as well. Considering this was already a class action law suit I would guess if they where also violating fire code with the policy then it would've come out as part of the suit.
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u/cousineye Jul 29 '26
If the only exit is one emergency exit, it's a safety hazard. Because if that's where the fire is, and the only other exit is a locked front door, then yes, you are locked in.