Exit Routes Introduction/Overview Knowing how to evacuate your workplace is very important for your safety. An evacuation may be required for a number of different emergencies, including: Fire or smoke Chemical spills Natural disasters Extended power outages Bomb threats Biological agents Workplace violence Take this training seriously. Participate in evacuation drills, if and/or when held. We all should know the evacuation procedures so well that we would be able to evacuate the building with our eyes closed. It is certainly possible that we may not have the use of our sight in an emergency because of thick smoke, chemical fumes, or a power outage. OSHA Regulations The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued specific regulations, located in 29 CFR 1910.34-39, for exit routes, emergency action plans, and fire prevention plans. In addition to OSHA s requirements, local building codes and fire codes have specific requirements for exit routes in buildings in their jurisdiction. OSHA also requires employers to develop an emergency action plan that includes evacuation planning and employee training. OSHA s requirements can be found in 29 CFR 1910.38. Exit Route An exit route is a continuous and unobstructed path of exit within a workplace to a place of safety (including refuge areas). An exit route consists of three parts: the exit access; the exit; and the exit discharge. An exit route includes all vertical and horizontal areas along the route. Two key points of this definition are the words continuous and unobstructed. In this training we will emphasize the importance of making sure any person can escape the building by following a clearly marked and unobstructed route from any point in the building.
Exit Access Exit access is that portion of an exit route that leads to an exit. An example is a corridor on the fifth floor of an office building to the outside of the building. Exit The exit is that portion of an exit route that is generally separated from other areas to provide a protected way of travel to the exit discharge. An example is a two-hour fire resistance-rated enclosed stairway that leads from the fifth floor of an office building to the outside of the building. Exit Discharge The exit discharge refers to where the exit door actually leads such as a door at the bottom of a twohour fire resistance-rated enclosed stairway that discharges to a place of safety outside the building. Exit Routes Number of Exit Routes Building and fire codes require a certain number of exit routes and certain types of exit routes depending on a number of factors. The number of personnel must be considered. Low density workplaces, such as warehouses, do not require as many exits. However, high-rise office buildings with thousands of workers must have multiple exits that are all designed to handle a high volume of people. The size of the building must also be considered. A large industrial building will have multiple exits because there are multiple work areas and exits are needed near each area. The arrangement of the building must be considered. A square building with open floor spaces (e.g., office cubicles) does not require as many exits as an odd-shaped building with a number of areas separated by walls and closed or locked doors (e.g., a hospital). The type of occupancy should be considered as well. A building in which flammable liquids are stored or processed will require more exits than a building that does not contain flammable chemicals. Discuss the number of exit routes and their locations in your workplace. Location of Exit Routes A minimum of two exit routes is required from any point in the building to provide personnel with different ways to leave the building during an emergency. The exit routes must be remote from each other to provide options. For example, if an exit route on the north side of the building is blocked by fire, then employees should be able to proceed to an exit on the south side of the building. More than two exit routes must be available if the number of employees, the size of the building, its occupancy, or the arrangement of the workplace is such that all employees would not be able to evacuate safely during an emergency. A single exit route is allowed in rare cases where all employees would be able to evacuate safely during an emergency.
Size of Exit Routes Exit routes must be designed so they are large enough to accommodate the maximum permitted occupant load for each floor served by the evacuation route. For example, a stairwell that is serving as an evacuation route for eight floors must be able to handle the maximum occupant load of each of those eight floors. Exit routes must have a minimum ceiling height of 7 feet 6 inches. Objects such as ceiling fans or sprinkler heads cannot hang down below 6 feet 8 inches. Exit routes must also be at least 28 inches wide at all points, which includes the distance between handrails. The capacity of an exit route cannot decrease at any point. Obstacles will create a bottleneck in the exit route and essentially block the route. Evacuating employees may panic as they wonder why everyone has stopped. Injuries can occur as people push forward into a bottleneck. Do not use exit routes as storage areas because this decreases the capacity of the route. Unobstructed Exit Routes It is extremely important to maintain exit routes free of obstructions. Remember, exit routes are not just the doors or stairwells that lead outside. Exit routes start at any point in the building. Do not block exit doors. Stairwells cannot be used for extra storage. Keep file cabinets and bookshelves out of main aisles or hallways that are used as access ways to exit doors. Do not store janitorial equipment or extra paper for the copy machine in exit routes. Exit routes cannot go through rooms that might be locked. If access to the door that leads outside requires employees to go through an office, lunchroom, or some other room with lockable doors, then that is not an exit route and should be marked as such. For that to be an official exit route, the lock on the door to the room must be removed so employees can go unimpeded through the room and out the exit door. Discuss with employees any exit routes that they feel might be partially blocked. Keep Dangerous Items Away from Exit Routes Minimize potential dangers to employees during an evacuation. Do not require employees to travel toward areas where hazardous materials are stored unless the exit route is protected or specially designed for the area. Keep exit routes free of explosive or highly flammable chemicals, furnishings, decorations, cardboard, paper, etc. These items could be ignited just by the high temperature of a nearby fire and thus cause the exit to become blocked in an emergency. Remember, exit routes include hallways, aisles, walkways, stairwells, lobbies, and other areas that must be passed through on the way to the exit door that leads outside. Do not store flammable or toxic substances in these areas. Ask employees if any dangerous items are stored along exit routes.
Marking Exits Each exit, or doorway leading outside, must be marked with a clearly visible and distinctive sign that reads EXIT. The exit sign must have distinctive colors that do not blend into the background. The exit signs cannot be obstructed or concealed in any way. Signs must be posted along the exit routes that indicate the direction of travel to the nearest exit. These signs will typically read EXIT and include an arrow indicating the direction to the exit. Show employees the exit signs along the exit routes in your work area. Any nonexit doorway or passage that might be mistaken for an exit must be marked with a sign that reads NOT AN EXIT or a sign that indicates the door s actual use, such as Basement, Closet," etc. Discuss nonexit doors and passageways in your work area that might be mistaken for exit routes. Adequate Lighting Exit routes must be illuminated in such a way that, even during a power outage, emergency lighting is available to light the way to the exit. The lighting must be adequate and reliable. Regularly check the emergency lighting system to ensure that it will work during an actual emergency. Exit signs must either be self-lighting or made of reflective material and illuminated. The selflighting or sign illumination must work even during a power outage. Do not have any brightly lit signs or displays near an exit sign. Discuss how often emergency lighting for exit routes is inspected. Outdoor Exit Routes Occasionally, exit routes in a building will lead to an outside area and although you might be outside, you have not exited the building. Examples of outdoor exit routes include travel along a balcony, porch, roof, courtyard, outdoor staircase, etc. Outdoor exit routes must have guardrails protecting unenclosed sides. Routes that might accumulate snow or ice must be covered. Discuss any outdoor exit routes at your workplace. Exit Doors All doors along the exit route, including the final door that leads outside, must open readily. The doors must open from the inside so that evacuating employees only need to push them open as they go along the exit route. If a door had to be pulled open, then a bottleneck would be created and evacuating employees could be injured. Also, doors must open without the use of keys, tools, or any other special knowledge. Discuss exit routes that require employees to go through doors.
Move Away from the Building The exit route must eventually lead outside to an open space, street, or walkway that allows employees to easily move away from the building. Employees should proceed directly to the evacuation meeting point, where a count will be made to ensure that all personnel are accounted for. Discuss the evacuation meeting point for your employees. Emergency Planning OSHA requires employers to develop an emergency action plan with the following elements identified: Exit routes Alarm systems Evacuation procedures Employee training Since we have already discussed exit routes in detail, we will focus on some of the other elements of an emergency action plan. Alarm Systems Alarm systems must have a distinctive signal that warns employees of emergencies. The key word is distinctive. The alarm cannot sound like other common noises in the workplace, such as buzzers or alarms on the production equipment. Also, any visual signals must be different from the other lights in the facility. Employees must know that the emergency alarm signal indicates an emergency and not just another workplace noise or light. The emergency alarm must be seen and heard in every area of the workplace. The emergency action plan should describe automatic alarms, manual alarms, and any emergency backup alarms. Automatic alarms are usually attached to sprinkler systems or other automatic fire extinguishing equipment. Manual alarm systems and emergency backup alarms might include: Manual pull box alarm Public address system Phones or radios Air horns Yelling for help Discuss the alarm systems used in your workplace. Alarm systems should be tested on a regular basis. Check each trigger device (e.g., manual pull box) at least annually. Make sure the alarm is reliable and will work when it is needed. Alarm testing is also done to make sure the alarm can be seen and heard throughout the workplace.
Monitored alarm systems that send a signal to an outside alarm monitoring company must be tested at least annually to make sure the monitoring company is receiving the signal on a timely basis. Monitoring companies will inform the police and fire departments when they receive a signal from a company s alarm system. Emergency Information Post emergency information where all employees have access to the numbers. Consider posting the emergency information near all phones or on employee bulletin boards. Include phone numbers and addresses for the following: Police Fire department Hospital Clinic Chemical spill emergency response team Discuss what emergency information has been posted at your company and where employees can find that information. Evacuation Assignments An emergency action plan will usually describe assignments given to certain employees during an evacuation. Evacuation coordinators would be in charge of making sure all personnel are out of a specific area. Evacuation coordinators might check offices, bathrooms; break rooms, etc., to make sure the area is clear before they evacuate themselves. A headcount person should be assigned to counting all evacuated employees that have convened at the designated meeting area to make sure all people have evacuated safely. The fire department would be notified of any personnel that are missing. First-aid- and CPR-trained personnel might be assigned to treat any injured employees at the evacuation meeting area. All employees should shut down their equipment, if safe to do so, before exiting their work area. However, certain employees might be assigned to stay in the building to safely shut down critical equipment and then exit the building. Some trained personnel might respond to the fire instead of immediately exiting the building. These personnel should be trained to use fire extinguishers or fire hoses to respond to an incipient, nonstructural fire. Evacuation assistants should be assigned to help certain personnel exit the building. Employees in wheelchairs or wearing a cast and required to use crutches may need assistance to exit the building. Discuss any specific evacuation assignments that are described in your company s emergency action plan. Evacuation Procedures
All employees should know the basic evacuation procedures: Recognize the evacuation signal. Listen for any specific evacuation instructions. Shut down nearby equipment. Follow the nearest exit route. Proceed to the designated assembly area. Employee Training Employees must receive regular training, including drills, on the information contained in the Emergency Action Plan. Employees must know the locations of all evacuation routes and understand the importance of keeping exit routes clear. Employees must learn how to recognize alarm signals and know where to assemble once they exit the building. Employees with evacuation assignments require additional training so they can successfully complete their assignments during an emergency. Exits at Home Take this knowledge of exits and evacuation procedures for the workplace and use it to make your home safer. Make sure your family has a couple of different exit routes. In addition to the front door, designate a door or window at the back of the house as an exit. If a window is used, keep it clear and have a chair or step stool available so that someone can climb through it easily. If your home has a second floor, make sure you have another exit from the second floor in addition to the main stairs. Designate an upstairs window and have an escape ladder available. Develop an evacuation plan including alarms, fire extinguishers, exit routes, assembly areas, and other emergency supplies. Train your family and conduct a couple of drills each year. Finally, know the location of exit routes in public areas, including stores, shopping malls, sporting venues, theaters, and hotels, so you are mentally prepared to exit in case of an emergency.