THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY EXITS

From large scale commercial and residentials to educational facilities, regardless of the structure, there must always be an emergency exit and strategy put in place to keep occupants safe in unprecedented times. Safety exits are extremely important and can save the lives of many. While a safety exit may for the most part just seem like a red sign and a door allowing people to get out, there is a lot more to safety exits and exit routes. Since safety exits are of such importance, understanding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety exit requirements is important. Here we have compiled some of the rules that OSHA has around safety exits.

AMOUNT OF EXITS

One of the first significant rules relating to emergency exits requires that a building must generally have at least two emergency exits. More than two emergency exits are required when two emergency exits would not be enough for everyone typically in the building to exit in case of an emergency. In a few cases one exit is allowed but only when one exit would allow everyone within the building to easily exit in case of an emergency. Although there is a general rule of thumb, the number of exits in a building is dependent on the average number of occupants in the building at a given time.

EXIT LOCATION

Generally, there are two rules about the location of exits. One rule states that exits must be as far away from each other as possible. That way if for some reason one exit cannot be accessed during an emergency, there is less chance of the other exits being unusable due to said emergency. Another rule about location is that exits must either open up to the outside of the building or to an open space which is easily accessible to the outside. There are some other generalities also related to location. For example, an exit must be clearly marked as an exit. Also, signage throughout the building should show where emergency exits are located and any door that may be confused for an exit should be marked as not an exit.

SOME OTHER RULES

There is a lot that goes into regulating a safety exit. In addition to the amount of exits and the location of those exits there are a few more regulations associated with emergency exits. Exits must be made of fire resistant material. In addition, the exit route should not have any flammable items in its path. Similarly, no items should block the exit or the route leading to it. Another rule about exit doors is that the door must be self closing and must be unlocked from the inside. This protects those in the building from people sneaking in and also allows them to easily exit the building in the case of an emergency that requires them to exit the building.

As I hope you see from this article, exit doors are more than just doors, they are ultimately what keeps occupants safe and allows them quick exit strategies should there be a fire, or other emergency. Safety exits are made to protect us during the worst situations. If you're looking to start a construction job, move, or are curious if the buildings you frequent have proper safety exits, I recommend you check out the OSHA rules about safety exits.