• Several specific factors will determine whether or not an exit route or exit door is safe.
• Exit routes must be maintained regularly, including during construction activities in the workplace.

The following are some things to consider about exits and their safety:

• Exit routes must be free of obstructing material or equipment and there must be adequate lighting.
• The exit route cannot lead employees toward a dead end or through a room that can be locked.
• Exit routes must be free of highly flammable furnishings or decorations.
• Employees cannot be required to travel toward areas where there are unshielded materials that burn very quickly, emit poisonous fumes, or are explosive.
• Exits must lead directly outside or to an open space with access to the outside. The area beyond the exit must have enough room to accommodate the people likely to use the exit.
• Exit doors must be able to be readily opened without having to use keys, tools, or special knowledge. Exit doors cannot have any alarm or device that would restrict emergency use of the exit if the device fails.
• When exit route stairs continue beyond the floor where people are to exit, there must be doors or partitions at the exit discharge floor to ensure that the direction of exit travel is clear to employees.
• A side-hinged exit door must be used to connect any room to an exit route. A door leading from a room that may be occupied by more than 50 people, or from a room that contains highly flammable or explosive materials, must swing out from the room.
• An exit route must be able to support the maximum permitted occupant load for each floor of the building that is served by the exit route. The exit route’s capacity must not decrease along the direction of exit travel.
• Exit routes must be at least 6 feet, 8 inches high and at least 28 inches wide. They must be wider if necessary to accommodate the occupant load. These minimum sizes must be met even if objects project into the exit route. Note: Other codes, such as local fire/building and disability-access, may have additional requirements.
• Outdoor exit routes are allowed but must meet the same requirements that apply to indoor exit routes. In addition, outdoor exit routes:
  • Must have guardrails to protect unenclosed sides;
  • Must be covered if accumulation of snow or ice is likely and is not removed regularly;
  • Must be reasonably straight with smooth, solid, substantially level floors; and
  • Must have no dead ends longer than 20 feet.

Doors that lead to a stairway are examples of how exits are separated and protected by fire doors. These doors must not be blocked open — they are designed to automatically close behind people to protect them from smoke, heat, and fire as they exit during an emergency evacuation.

Maintaining exit routes

Exit routes must remain free of highly flammable furnishings or other decorations. When the workplace contains fire retardant paints or other coatings, their fire-retardant properties must be maintained.

Employees should not be allowed to occupy a workplace under construction until an adequate number of appropriate exit routes are available. During building repair activities, employees may only occupy a workplace as long as all exits and existing fire protection is maintained or if alternate, equally protective, fire protection is provided.

When flammable or explosive materials are used during construction, employees may not be exposed to hazards that are not otherwise present, and employee emergency escape may not be impeded by the use of these materials.