[Title 29 CFR 1910.37]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - July 1, 2002 Edition]
[Title 29 - LABOR]
[Subtitle B - Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued)]
[Chapter Xvii - OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT]
[Part 1910 - OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS]
[Subpart E - Means of Egress]
[Sec. 1910.37 - Means of egress, general.]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


29LABOR52002-07-012002-07-01false1910.37Sec. 1910.37LABORRegulations Relating to Labor (Continued)OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENTOCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDSMeans of Egress
Sec. 1910.37  Means of egress, general.

    (a) Permissible exit components. An exit shall consist only of the 
approved components. Exit components shall be constructed as an integral 
part of the building or shall be permanently affixed thereto.
    (b) Protective enclosure of exits. When an exit is protected by 
separation from other parts of the building the separating construction 
shall meet the following requirements.
    (1) The separation shall have at least a 1-hour fire resistance 
rating when the exit connects three stories or less. This applies 
whether the stories connected are above or below the story at which exit 
discharge begins.
    (2) The separation shall have at least a 2-hour fire resistance 
rating when the exit connects four or more stories, whether above or 
below the floor of discharge. It shall be constructed of noncombustible 
materials, and shall be supported by construction having at least a 2-
hour fire resistance rating.
    (3) Any opening therein shall be protected by an approved self-
closing fire door.

[[Page 151]]

    (4) Openings in exit enclosures shall be confined to those necessary 
for access to the enclosure from normally occupied spaces and for egress 
from the enclosure.
    (c) Width and capacity of means of egress. (1) The capacity in 
number of persons per unit of exit width for approved components of 
means of egress shall be as follows:
    (i) Level Egress Components (including Class A Ramps) 100 persons.
    (ii) Inclined Egress Components (including Class B Ramps) 60 
persons.
    (iii) A ramp shall be designated as Class A or Class B in accordance 
with the following Table E-1:

                                Table E-1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Class A             Class B
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Width...........................  44 inches and       30 to 44 inches.
                                   greater.
Slope...........................  1 to 1\3/16\        1\3/16\ to 2
                                   inches in 12        inches in 12
                                   inches.             inches.
Maximum height between landings.  No limit..........  12 feet.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (2) Means of egress shall be measured in units of exit width of 22 
inches. Fractions of a unit shall not be counted, except that 12 inches 
added to one or more full units shall be counted as one-half a unit of 
exit width.
    (3) Units of exit width shall be measured in the clear at the 
narrowest point of the means of egress except that a handrail may 
project inside the measured width on each side not more than 5 inches 
and a stringer may project inside the measured width not more than 1\1/
2\ inches. An exit or exit access door swinging into an aisle or 
passageway shall not restrict the effective width thereof at any point 
during its swing to less than the minimum widths hereafter specified.
    (d) Egress capacity and occupant load. (1) The capacity of means of 
egress for any floor, balcony, tier, or other occupied space shall be 
sufficient for the occupant load thereof. The occupant load shall be the 
maximum number of persons that may be in the space at any time.
    (2) Where exits serve more than one floor, only the occupant load of 
each floor considered individually need be used in computing the 
capacity of the exits at that floor, provided that exit capacity shall 
not be decreased in the direction of exit travel.
    (e) Arrangement of exits. When more than one exit is required from a 
story, at least two of the exits shall be remote from each other and so 
arranged as to minimize any possibility that both may be blocked by any 
one fire or other emergency condition.
    (f) Access to exits. (1) Exits shall be so located and exit access 
shall be so arranged that exits are readily accessible at all times. 
Where exits are not immediately accessible from an open floor area, safe 
and continuous passageways, aisles, or corridors leading directly to 
every exit and so arranged as to provide convenient access for each 
occupant to at least two exits by separate ways of travel, except as a 
single exit or limited dead ends are permitted by other provisions of 
this subpart, shall be maintained.
    (2) A door from a room to an exit or to a way of exit access shall 
be of the side-hinged, swinging type. It shall swing with exit travel 
when the room is occupied by more than 50 persons or used for a high 
hazard occupancy.
    (3) In no case shall access to an exit be through a bathroom, or 
other room subject to locking, except where the exit is required to 
serve only the room subject to locking.
    (4) Ways of exit access and the doors to exits to which they lead 
shall be so designed and arranged as to be clearly recognizable as such. 
Hangings or draperies shall not be placed over exit doors or otherwise 
so located as to conceal or obscure any exit. Mirrors shall not be 
placed on exit doors. Mirrors shall not be placed in or adjacent to any 
exit in such a manner as to confuse the direction of exit.
    (5) Exit access shall be so arranged that it will not be necessary 
to travel toward any area of high hazard occupancy in order to reach the 
nearest exit, unless the path of travel is effectively shielded from the 
high hazard location by suitable partitions or other physical barriers.
    (6) The minimum width of any way of exit access shall in no case be 
less than 28 inches. Where a single way of exit access leads to an exit, 
its capacity in terms of width shall be at least equal to the required 
capacity of the exit to

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which it leads. Where more than one way of exit access leads to an exit, 
each shall have a width adequate for the number of persons it must 
accommodate.
    (g) Exterior ways of exit access. (1) Access to an exit may be by 
means of any exterior balcony, porch, gallery, or roof that conforms to 
the requirements of this section.
    (2) Exterior ways of exit access shall have smooth, solid floors, 
substantially level, and shall have guards on the unenclosed sides.
    (3) Where accumulation of snow or ice is likely because of the 
climate, the exterior way of exit access shall be protected by a roof, 
unless it serves as the sole normal means of access to the rooms or 
spaces served, in which case it may be assumed that snow and ice will be 
regularly removed in the course of normal occupancy.
    (4) A permanent, reasonably straight path of travel shall be 
maintained over the required exterior way of exit access. There shall be 
no obstruction by railings, barriers, or gates that divide the open 
space into sections appurtenant to individual rooms, apartments, or 
other uses. Where the Assistant Secretary of Labor or his duly 
authorized representative finds the required path of travel to be 
obstructed by furniture or other movable objects, he may require that 
they be fastened out of the way or he may require that railings or other 
permanent barriers be installed to protect the path of travel against 
encroachment.
    (5) An exterior way of exit access shall be so arranged that there 
are no dead ends in excess of 20 feet. Any unenclosed exit served by an 
exterior way of exit access shall be so located that no part of the exit 
extends past a vertical plane 20 feet and one-half the required width of 
the exit from the end of and at right angles to the way of exit access.
    (6) Any gallery, balcony, bridge, porch, or other exterior exit 
access that projects beyond the outside wall of the building shall 
comply with the requirements of this section as to width and 
arrangement.
    (h) Discharge from exits. (1) All exits shall discharge directly to 
the street, or to a yard, court, or other open space that gives safe 
access to a public way. The streets to which the exits discharge shall 
be of width adequate to accommodate all persons leaving the building. 
Yards, courts, or other open spaces to which exits discharge shall also 
be of adequate width and size to provide all persons leaving the 
building with ready access to the street.
    (2) Stairs and other exits shall be so arranged as to make clear the 
direction of egress to the street. Exit stairs that continue beyond the 
floor of discharge shall be interrupted at the floor of discharge by 
partitions, doors, or other effective means.
    (i) Headroom. Means of egress shall be so designed and maintained as 
to provide adequate headroom, but in no case shall the ceiling height be 
less than 7 feet 6 inches nor any projection from the ceiling be less 
than 6 feet 8 inches from the floor.
    (j) Changes in elevation. Where a means of egress is not 
substantially level, such differences in elevation shall be negotiated 
by stairs or ramps.
    (k) Maintenance and workmanship. (1) Doors, stairs, ramps, passages, 
signs, and all other components of means of egress shall be of 
substantial, reliable construction and shall be built or installed in a 
workmanlike manner.
    (2) Means of egress shall be continuously maintained free of all 
obstructions or impediments to full instant use in the case of fire or 
other emergency.
    (3) Any device or alarm installed to restrict the improper use of an 
exit shall be so designed and installed that it cannot, even in cases of 
failure, impede or prevent emergency use of such exit.
    (l) Furnishings and decorations. (1) No furnishings, decorations, or 
other objects shall be so placed as to obstruct exits, access thereto, 
egress therefrom, or visibility thereof.
    (2) No furnishings or decorations of an explosive or highly 
flammable character shall be used in any occupancy.
    (m) Automatic sprinkler systems. All automatic sprinkler systems 
shall be continuously maintained in reliable operating condition at all 
times, and such periodic inspections and tests shall be made as are 
necessary to assure proper maintenance.

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    (n) Fire alarm signaling systems. The employer shall assure that 
fire alarm signaling systems are maintained and tested in accordance 
with the requirements of Sec. 1910.165(d).
    (o) Fire retardant paints. Fire retardant paints or solutions shall 
be renewed at such intervals as necessary to maintain the necessary 
flame retardant properties.
    (p) [Reserved]
    (q) Exit marking. (1) Exits shall be marked by a readily visible 
sign. Access to exits shall be marked by readily visible signs in all 
cases where the exit or way to reach it is not immediately visible to 
the occupants.
    (2) Any door, passage, or stairway which is neither an exit nor a 
way of exit access, and which is so located or arranged as to be likely 
to be mistaken for an exit, shall be identified by a sign reading ``Not 
an Exit'' or similar designation, or shall be identified by a sign 
indicating its actual character, such as ``To Basement,'' ``Storeroom,'' 
``Linen Closet,'' or the like.
    (3) Every required sign designating an exit or way of exit access 
shall be so located and of such size, color, and design as to be readily 
visible. No decorations, furnishings, or equipment which impair 
visibility of an exit sign shall be permitted, nor shall there be any 
brightly illuminated sign (for other than exit purposes), display, or 
object in or near the line of vision to the required exit sign of such a 
character as to so detract attention from the exit sign that it may not 
be noticed.
    (4) Every exit sign shall be distinctive in color and shall provide 
contrast with decorations, interior finish, or other signs.
    (5) A sign reading ``Exit'', or similar designation, with an arrow 
indicating the directions, shall be placed in every location where the 
direction of travel to reach the nearest exit is not immediately 
apparent.
    (6) Every exit sign shall be suitably illuminated by a reliable 
light source giving a value of not less than 5 foot-candles on the 
illuminated surface. Artificial lights giving illumination to exit signs 
other than the internally illuminated types shall have screens, discs, 
or lenses of not less than 25 square inches area made of translucent 
material to show red or other specified designating color on the side of 
the approach.
    (7) Each internally illuminated exit sign shall be provided in all 
occupancies where reduction of normal illumination is permitted.
    (8) Every exit sign shall have the word ``Exit'' in plainly legible 
letters not less than 6 inches high, with the principal strokes of 
letters not less than three-fourths-inch wide.

[39 FR 23502, June 27, 1974, as amended at 45 FR 60703, Sept. 12, 1980]