Maintenance,
Safeguards, and Operational Features for Exit Routes
This section includes the safe
use of exit routes during an emergency, lighting and marking
exit routes, fire retardant paints, exit routes during
construction, repairs, or alterations, and employee alarm
systems.
See OSHA's Demonstrative Exit
Routes #1 and
#2 to learn how
to apply the OSHA standards for exit routes.
For further assistance, consult
NFPA 101, Life
Safety Code. |
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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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| Maintenance of
exits |
Exit routes must be kept free of explosive or highly
flammable furnishings or other decorations [29 CFR 1910.37(a)(1)].
Exit routes must be arranged so that employees
will not have to travel toward a high hazard area,
unless the path of travel is effectively shielded
from the high hazard area by suitable partitions or
other physical barriers [29 CFR 1910.37(a)(2)].
Exit routes must be free and unobstructed. No
materials or equipment may be placed, either
permanently or temporarily, within the exit route.
The exit access must not go through a room that can
be locked, such as a bathroom, to reach an exit or
exit discharge, nor may it lead into a dead-end
corridor. Stairs or a ramp must be provided where
the exit route is not substantially level [29 CFR 1910.37(a)(3)].
Safeguards designed to protect employees during an
emergency (such as sprinkler systems, alarm systems,
fire doors, exit lighting) must be in proper working
order at all times [29 CFR 1910.37(a)(4)].
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| Lighting
and marking |
Each exit route must be adequately lighted so that
an employee with normal vision can see along the
exit route [29 CFR 1910.37(b)(1)].
Each exit must be clearly visible and marked by
a sign reading "Exit" [29 CFR 1910.37(b)(2)].
Each exit route door must be free of decorations
or signs that obscure the visibility of the exit
route door [29 CFR 1910.37(b)(3)].
If the direction of travel to the exit or exit
discharge is not immediately apparent, signs must be
posted along the exit access indicating the
direction of travel to the nearest exit and exit
discharge. Additionally, the line-of-sight to an
exit sign must clearly be visible at all times [29 CFR 1910.37(b)(4)].
Each doorway or passage along an exit access that
could be mistaken for an exit (such as a closet)
must be marked "Not an Exit" or similar designation,
or be identified by a sign indicating its actual use
[29 CFR 1910.37(b)(5)].
Each exit sign must be illuminated to a surface
value of at least five foot-candles (54 lux) by
a reliable light source and be distinctive in color.
Self-luminous or electroluminescent signs that have
a minimum luminance surface value of at least .06
footlamberts (0.21 cd/m2) are permitted [29 CFR 1910.37(b)(6)].
Each exit sign must have the word "Exit" in
plainly legible letters not less than six inches
(15.2 cm) high, with the principal strokes of the
letters in the word "Exit" not less than
three-fourths of an inch (1.9 cm) wide [29 CFR 1910.37(b)(7)].
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| Fire
retardant properties of paints or solutions |
Fire retardant paints or solutions must be renewed
as often as necessary to maintain their fire
retardant properties [29 CFR 1910.37(c)].
|
| Exit
route maintenance during construction, repairs,
or alterations |
During new construction, employees must not occupy a
workplace until the exit routes required by this
subpart are completed and ready for employee use for
the portion of the workplace they occupy [29 CFR 1910.37(d)(1)].
During repairs or alterations, employees must not
occupy a workplace unless the exit routes required
by this subpart are available and existing fire
protections are maintained, or until alternate fire
protection is furnished that provides an equivalent
level of safety [29 CFR 1910.37(d)(2)].
Employees must not be exposed to hazards of
flammable or explosive substances or equipment used
during construction, repairs, or alterations, that
are beyond the normal permissible conditions in the
workplace, or that would impede exiting the
workplace [29 CFR 1910.37(d)(3)].
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| Employee
alarm system |
Employers
must install and maintain an operable employee alarm
system that has a distinctive signal to warn employees
of fire or other emergencies, unless employees can
promptly see or smell a fire or other hazard in
time to provide adequate warning to them. The employee
alarm system must comply with
29 CFR 1910.165
[29 CFR 1910.37(e)].
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