Trapped in a Walk-In? Inside Safety Release and What to Do

Every walk-in door should open from the inside, every time, with one push. If you are reading this because someone is inside a walk-in and can't get out, start with the steps below.

If you are inside and the door won't open

1. Find the inside release. It is usually a plunger or knob on the inside of the door near the latch, often large and brightly colored or glow-in-the-dark.
2. Push it firmly and steadily with the heel of your hand while leaning on the door. Give it your body weight, not quick taps.
3. In a freezer, wait a few seconds and push again. A freezer door can be held shut by a slight vacuum when warm air that came in cools down. The pressure relief port in the wall equalizes this after a short time.
4. Call for help. Phone a coworker or manager. If nobody answers, call 911 and tell them you are locked in a walk-in cooler or freezer and give the address.
5. Use the alarm button if your walk-in has one, and bang on the door to attract attention.
6. Stay warm. Keep moving, stay out of the airflow from the evaporator fans (the fan unit near the ceiling), and cover bare skin with anything available, such as clean towels or flattened boxes.
7. Don't damage electrical parts or refrigerant piping trying to get out.

If someone is locked inside

1. Open the door from the outside. Remove any padlock or pin and pull the handle firmly. On a freezer, pull steadily for a few seconds rather than yanking.
2. Call 911 if you can't open it, and keep talking to the person through the door.
3. Once they are out, get them somewhere warm and let a medical professional judge whether they need care, especially after time in a freezer.
4. Take the walk-in out of use until the release and door are checked (see "If the release fails" below), and record what happened.

What the rules actually say

The rules for inside releases are often misquoted. Here is what the sources say:

The same OSHA eTool warns that condensation inside refrigerators and freezers can make floors wet and slippery, and says workers under 16 may not do freezer or meat-cooler work under child labor rules. Your state and local codes, and your insurer, may have their own requirements, so check with them.

How to test the inside release

Add this test to your regular maintenance checklist and do it with two people, never alone.

1. One person stays outside holding the door and a phone. The second person goes inside.
2. Close the door fully so the latch engages.
3. The inside person operates the release. The door should open with normal hand pressure and without tools, keys or tricks.
4. Repeat with the outside lock engaged if you ever padlock or lock the door, to confirm the release overrides it. If it doesn't, don't lock the door while anyone could be inside, and ask the manufacturer about an overriding release.
5. Check it can be found in the dark. Turn off the lights and confirm the release is visible, for example glow-in-the-dark.
6. Check the path to the door. Product, carts and ice must not block the release or the door swing.
7. Record the result and report any stiffness at once. Keep the test on the same checklist as your other routine tasks in the walk-in cooler maintenance guide.

Safety: Never test the release alone, and never prop a failed door shut with a wedge or tie it closed while waiting for repair. Keep the walk-in out of use until the release works.

Freezers: why releases and doors stick

Freezer doors have a harder life, and three things commonly make them stick:

• Frozen gaskets and frames. Freezer doors have heater wire around the door, on all four sides in U.S. Cooler's specification, to keep the gasket from freezing to the frame. When a heater fails, frost and ice build up. See door frame heaters and frost around the walk-in door.
• Vacuum. Air that enters and cools creates a vacuum that holds the door. A heated pressure relief port in the panel next to the door equalizes it. A port that is iced over or has a failed heater stops working. See pressure relief port.
• Ice on the release itself. Moisture can freeze inside the release mechanism. Include freezer releases in every test.

Don't hack at ice around the door frame with knives or scrapers. It can damage the gasket and the heater wire beneath it. Ice on floors and walking surfaces is itself a hazard under OSHA's walking-working surface rule, so fix the source rather than living with it.

Lights, alarm buttons and other safeguards

• Lighting. If the light switch is outside, a person can be left in the dark. Federal energy rules allow walk-in lights that switch off within 15 minutes of the box being unoccupied, so if yours are on a sensor or timer, make sure a person standing still won't end up in the dark, and that the release can be found without light. See walk-in cooler lights not working.
• Alarm buttons. An inside alarm or call button that sounds somewhere staff will hear it is a simple addition to consider, especially for stores with one person on shift.
• Door closers and hinges. A door that drags or doesn't swing freely is harder to open from inside. See door closers and hinges.

Train every person who uses the walk-in

• Show new staff where the release is and have them operate it on day one.
• Tell staff to let someone know before going into a walk-in, especially a freezer.
• Keep phones on staff during closing duties.
• Post the release location and the emergency steps from this page on the outside of the door.

If the release fails

Take the walk-in out of use, tag the door, and call a walk-in door or refrigeration service company to repair it. If the door, frame or surrounding panels are damaged beyond repair, they may need replacing; the panels and insulation guide covers what that involves.

Sources: OSHA restaurant safety eTool; 29 CFR 1910.36 (eCFR).