Qualified cold rooms are today rigged out with every necessary feature to ensure the safety of those who work in them on a regular basis. As with all work-related exit doors for emergencies, a cold room door should open from the inside even when locked on the outside with a key, or using a combination lock. Professional cold rooms are kept at or below freezing, and thus a human being cannot stay inside of one for very long unless they are appropriately dressed for the freezing temperatures.
Problems arise when the lighting goes out while someone is inside a cold room. An electrical or wiring failure of the lightning can plunge a person into a frightening total darkness, and before they can orient themselves they may suffer frostbite. The best thing to do if the lights go out in a cold room is to wait a few seconds until the eyes are adjusted to the darkness, then look for that pencil thin light from the bottom of the exit door. This should lead a person safely to the exit within a minute or two.
Whenever entering a new cold room a person should look around to see if there is a button to push for an emergency bell, and for a large hammer or axe that can be used for breaking through the door or a wall.
In extreme emergencies, if the exit door does not open and there’s no emergency button or axe to use, locate a cooling fan in the wall or ceiling and disable it by inserting a broom handle or any other kind of stick between the rotating blade. When this is done an automatic alarm will sound to alert someone on the outside to come investigate.
Finally, take precautions ahead of time when visiting a cold room on a regular basis. This means have some thick vests, wool caps, and mittens, close to the cold room door — and then making a habit of wearing them for every visit, no matter how short.
