Design
and Construction Requirements for Exit Routes
This section contains requirements
for the design and construction of exit routes. It includes
a requirement that exit routes be permanent, addresses
fire resistance-ratings of construction materials used
in exit stairways (exits), describes openings into exits,
defines the minimum number of exit routes in workplaces,
addresses exit discharges, and discusses locked exit route
doors, and exit route doors. It also addresses the capacity,
height and width of exit routes, and finally, it sets
forth requirements for exit routes that are outside a
building.
Exit routes must meet the following design and construction
requirements: 1910.36(a)
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| What
is an exit route? |
An
exit route is a continuous and unobstructed path
of exit travel from any point within a workplace
to a place of safety. An exit route consists of
three parts:
- Exit access - portion
of an exit route that leads to an exit.
- Exit - portion of an exit route that is generally
separated from other areas to provide a protected
way of travel to the exit discharge.
- Exit discharge - part of the exit route that
leads directly outside or to a street, walkway,
refuge area, public way, or open space with
access to the outside.
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| Basic
Requirements |
An
exit route must be permanent. Each exit route must
be a permanent part of the workplace. 1910.36(a)(1)
An exit must be separated by fire resistant materials.
Construction materials used to separate an exit
from other parts of the workplace must have a one-hour
fire resistance-rating if the exit connects three
or fewer stories and a two-hour fire resistance-rating
if the exit connects four or more stories. 1910.36(a)(2)
Openings into an exit must be limited. An exit is
permitted to have only those openings necessary
to allow access to the exit from occupied areas
of the workplace, or to the exit discharge. An opening
into an exit must be protected by a self-closing
fire door that remains closed or automatically closes
in an emergency upon the sounding of a fire alarm
or employee alarm system. Each fire door, including
its frame and hardware, must be listed or approved
by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. Section
1910.155(c)(3)(iv)(A) of this part defines "listed"
and § 1910.7 of this part defines a "nationally
recognized testing laboratory." 1910.36(a)(3)
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| Exit
Routes |
The
number of exit routes must be adequate. 1910.36(b)
At least two exit routes must be available in a
workplace to permit prompt evacuation of employees
and other building occupants during an emergency,
except as allowed in paragraph (b)(3) of this section.
The exit routes must be located as far away as practical
from each other so that if one exit route is blocked
by fire or smoke, employees can evacuate using the
second exit route. 1910.36(b)(1)
More than two exit routes must be available in a
workplace 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.
1910.36(b)(2)
A single exit route is permitted where the number
of employees, the size of the building, its occupancy,
or the arrangement of the workplace is such that
all employees would be able to evacuate safely during
an emergency. 1910.36(b)(3)
Note to paragraph 1910.36(b):
For assistance in determining the number of exit
routes necessary for your workplace, consult NFPA 101-2000, Life
Safety Code.
In every building or structure exits shall be so
arranged and maintained as to provide free and unobstructed
egress from all parts of the building or structure
at all times when it is occupied. No lock or fastening
to prevent free escape from the inside of any building
shall be installed except in mental, penal, or corrective
institutions where supervisory personnel is continually
on duty and effective provisions are made to remove
occupants in case of fire or other emergency.1910.36(b)(4)
Every exit shall be clearly visible or the route
to reach it shall be conspicuously indicated in
such a manner that every occupant of every building
or structure who is physically and mentally capable
will readily know the direction of escape from any
point, and each path of escape, in its entirety,
shall be so arranged or marked that the way to a
place of safety outside is unmistakable. Any doorway
or passageway not constituting an exit or way to
reach an exit, but of such a character as to be
subject to being mistaken for an exit, shall be
so arranged or marked as to minimize its possible
confusion with an exit and the resultant danger
of persons endeavoring to escape from fire finding
themselves trapped in a dead-end space, such as
a cellar or storeroom, from which there is no other
way out. 1910.36(b)(5)
In every building or structure equipped for artificial
illumination, adequate and reliable illumination
shall be provided for all exit facilities. 1910.36(b)(6)
In every building or structure of such size, arrangement,
or occupancy that a fire may not itself provide
adequate warning to occupants, fire alarm facilities
shall be provided where necessary to warn occupants
of the existence of fire so that they may escape,
or to facilitate the orderly conduct of fire exit
drills. 1910.36(b)(7)
Every building or structure, section, or area thereof
of such size, occupancy, and arrangement that the
reasonable safety of numbers of occupants may be
endangered by the blocking of any single means of
egress due to fire or smoke, shall have at least
two means of egress remote from each other, so arranged
as to minimize any possibility that both may be
blocked by any one fire or other emergency conditions.
1910.36(b)(8)
Compliance with this subpart shall not be construed
as eliminating or reducing the necessity for other
provisions for safety of persons using a structure
under normal occupancy conditions, nor shall any
provision of the subpart be construed as requiring
or permitting any condition that may be hazardous
under normal occupancy conditions. 1910.36(b)(9)
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| Exit
Discharge |
Each
exit discharge must lead directly outside or to
a street, walkway, refuge area, public way, or open
space with access to the outside. 1910.36(c)(1)
The street, walkway, refuge area, public way, or
open space to which an exit discharge leads must
be large enough to accommodate the building occupants
likely to use the exit route. 1910.36(c)(2)
Exit stairs that continue beyond the level on which
the exit discharge is located must be interrupted
at that level by doors, partitions, or other effective
means that clearly indicate the direction of travel
leading to the exit discharge. 1910.36(c)(3)
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| Exit
Door Access |
An
exit door must be unlocked from the inside. 1910.36(d)
Employees must be able to open an exit route door
from the inside at all times without keys, tools,
or special knowledge. A device such as a panic bar
that locks only from the outside is permitted on
exit discharge doors. 1910.36(d)(1)
Exit route doors must be free of any device or alarm
that could restrict emergency use of the exit route
if the device or alarm fails. 1910.36(d)(2)
An exit route door may be locked from the inside
only in mental, penal, or correctional facilities
and then only if supervisory personnel are continuously
on duty and the employer has a plan to remove occupants
from the facility during an emergency. 1910.36(d)(3)
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| Door
Hinges |
A
side-hinged exit door must be used. 1910.36(e)
A side-hinged door must be used to connect any room
to an exit route. 1910.36(e)(1)
The door that connects any room to an exit route
must swing out in the direction of exit travel if
the room is designed to be occupied by more than
50 people or if the room is a high hazard area (i.e.,
contains contents that are likely to burn with extreme
rapidity or explode). 1910.36(e)(2)
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| Height
and Width Requirements |
An
exit route must meet minimum height and width requirements.
1910.36(g)
The ceiling of an exit route must be at least seven
feet six inches (2.3 m) high. Any projection from
the ceiling must not reach a point less than six
feet eight inches (2.0 m) from the floor. 1910.36(g)(1)
An exit access must be at least 28 inches (71.1
cm) wide at all points. Where there is only one
exit access leading to an exit or exit discharge,
the width of the exit and exit discharge must be
at least equal to the width of the exit access.
1910.36(g)(2)
The width of an exit route must be sufficient to
accommodate the maximum permitted occupant load
of each floor served by the exit route. 1910.36(g)(3)
Objects that project into the exit route must not
reduce the width of the exit route to less than
the minimum width requirements for exit routes.
1910.36(g)(4)
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| Outdoor
Exit Routes |
An
outdoor exit route is permitted. 1910.36(h)
The outdoor exit route must have guardrails to protect
unenclosed sides if a fall hazard exists; 1910.36(h)(1)
The outdoor exit route must be covered if snow or
ice is likely to accumulate along the route, unless
the employer can demonstrate that any snow or ice
accumulation will be removed before it presents
a slipping hazard; 1910.36(h)(2)
The outdoor exit route must be reasonably straight
and have smooth, solid, substantially level walkways;
and 1910.36(h)(3)
The outdoor exit route must not have a dead-end
that is longer than 20 feet (6.2 m). 1910.36(h)(4)
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