OSHA's Exit Routes demonstration #2
The picture above illustrates an exit route with several
elements not in accordance with OSHA’s exit route standards. Move your
mouse over the numbers on the image to learn which OSHA standards are not
being followed and how you can begin to ensure that the exit routes in
your work environment are safe and in compliance.
Text Version
[In the upper left hand corner, there is a hanging ceiling light with
inadequate lighting that is marked with a number 1; to the right is an Exit
sign in letters that are too small that is marked with a number 2; further
along the wall are pipes hanging from the ceiling marked with a number 3; on
the far right side is a door marked with a sign saying Production Area that
is marked with a number 5. Access to the stairway on the opposite wall is
blocked by a large receptacle with laundry. The stairway is marked with a
number 4, and a janitor's cart is also blocking access to the stairway.]
When your mouse moves over each marked number, the relevant OSHA standard
is displayed to the right of the image:
1. Exit Lighting. Each exit route must be adequately lighted so
that an employee with normal vision can see along the exit route [1910.37(b)(1)].
2. Exit Marking. 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 [1910.37(b)(7)].
3. Adequate Headroom. 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)].
4. Access to Exits. 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 [1910.37(a)(3)].
5. Access to Exits. 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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