Herrsching Venue Exposed: When Escape Routes Fail the People Who Need Them Most

A routine inspection at a Bavarian sports hall has thrown a spotlight on the gap between fire-safety paperwork and real-world escape planning — and on the detailed obligations that every employer and building operator carries when it comes to getting people out alive.

Inspectors from the Starnberg district authority found serious defects at the Nikolaushalle in Herrsching: escape routes were too narrow and too few in number, the smoke-extraction system was deficient, and the load-bearing steel structure had no fire-protection rating at all. Oliver Gerweck, head of the building authority, put the likely cost of bringing the hall up to standard at around 400,000 euros, cautioning that the final figure could land higher or lower.

The building had been approved in 1978 as a venue for sporting events. In 2014 its permitted spectator capacity was raised to 1,000 people — a figure the district building office later conceded should never have been authorised. Ordinary handball matches draw an average of 300 spectators. As immediate measures, the authority ordered supervision of the changing rooms, announcements about escape routes before events, and immediate evacuation whenever an alarm sounds.

Cases like this are a reminder that fire safety lives or dies on the paperwork behind it — the risk assessment, the evacuation plan, the training records. A free Fire Safety Toolkit bundles exactly those documents so you can show inspectors a complete, current trail. Download the free Fire Safety Toolkit

Panic erodes orientation — signage has to work anyway

The case illustrates why escape and rescue plans matter. In a fire or similar emergency, panic can strip people of their sense of direction within seconds, which is why many buildings rely on posted plans to point the way to the nearest exit. German workplace rules and technical standards for workplaces require clear marking of traffic routes, hazard zones, escape and rescue routes, and restricted-access areas.

Operating instructions must be displayed where all employees can see them and must stay up permanently. Staff also have to be briefed annually. Beyond that, specialists recommend regular evacuation drills — every six months, for example. Routes themselves should be as short as possible and kept permanently clear of obstacles and stored goods. Marking is done with illuminated green-and-white rescue signs, which must be self-luminous where required under DIN 67510.

Emergency lighting is mandatory so that people can still find their way during a power failure. Evacuation plans must also include a location-specific marker showing the viewer's current position.

Measuring light where it counts

Safety lighting demands precise verification at key structural points. Critical locations include corridor junctions, stairs, changes in floor level, lifts, sanitary areas, the positions of rescue equipment, and areas specifically designated for people with disabilities. The required illuminance is measured at the mounting height of each device. Test instruments need a minimum resolution of 0.01 lux, and measurements must be repeated before the building is signed off and then every five years during operation.

Doors: panic hardware is not a one-size-fits-all label

Different standards govern doors along escape routes. EN 179 covers emergency-exit devices with a lever handle or push pad, intended for users who know the building and its fittings and among whom panic is unlikely. EN 1125, by contrast, defines panic door devices with a horizontal push bar for buildings used by people unfamiliar with the premises, where panic situations can arise.

A push bar on its own is not enough in legal terms; what is required is a documented, complete assembly of profiles, locks and fittings. The choice of system should be driven by the fire-safety concept and local regulations — not simply by what the building is called. An escape door is also not automatically a smoke or fire door. On double-leaf units, both leaves' release, the opening sequence and the necessary escape-route width all need checking. For fire compartments, the protective properties must always be demonstrated for the entire door assembly.

Getting the detail right across doors, routes and lighting is far easier when you start from a proven template rather than a blank page. A free Health & Safety Toolkit gives UK employers ready-to-use risk assessments and checklists covering fire safety, PPE, first aid and more — the kind of documented groundwork that keeps a building genuinely safe, not just compliant on paper. Get the free Health & Safety Toolkit

Electric locking and access control need coordinated planning, particularly around what happens when an alarm triggers or power fails. Compact sensor airlocks with a housing depth of 240 mm can be integrated with a certified escape-route securing system that releases passages instantly in an emergency. In such airlocks, access is controlled by 3D facial recognition using HD and infrared cameras with liveness detection. To protect privacy, biometric templates are used, so no images are recorded during normal operation.