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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.

How many exit routes must a

workplace have?

Normally, a workplace must have at least two

exit routes to permit prompt evacuation of

employees and other building occupants during

an emergency. More than two exits are required,

however, if the number of employees, size of the

building, or arrangement of the workplace will

not allow employees to evacuate safely. Exit

routes must be located as far away as practical

from each other in case one is blocked by fire or

smoke.

Exception: If the number of employees, the

size of the building, its occupancy, or the

arrangement of the workplace allows all

employees to evacuate safely during an

emergency, one exit route is permitted.

What are some other design and

construction requirements for exit

routes?

■ Exit routes must be permanent parts of the

workplace.

which the exit discharge is locate

interrupted at that level by doors, 

other effective means that clearly 

direction of travel leading to the e

■ Exit route doors must be unlocke

inside. They must be free of devi

that could restrict use of the exit r

device or alarm fails.

■ Side-hinged exit doors must be u

connect rooms to exit routes. The

must swing out in the direction of 

the room is to be occupied by mo

people or if the room is a high-ha

■ Exit routes must support the max

permitted occupant load for each 

and the capacity of an exit route m

decrease in the direction of exit ro

the exit discharge.

■ Ceilings of exit routes must be at 

6 inches high.

■ An exit access must be at least 2

at all points. Where there is only 

access leading to an exit or exit d

width of the exit and exit discharg

least equal to the width of the exi

Objects that project into the exit m

reduce its width.

■ Outdoor exit routes are permitted 

meet the minimum height and wid

requirement for indoor exit routes 

– have guardrails to protect unen

if a fall hazard exists;

– be covered if snow or ice is like

accumulate, unless the employe

demonstrate accumulations will 

before a slipping hazard exists;

– be reasonably straight and have 

solid, substantially level walkwa

– not have a dead-end longer tha
safeguarding, and operational

features for exit routes?

OSHA standards require employers to do the

following:

■ Keep exit routes free of explosive or highly

flammable furnishings and other decorations.

■ Arrange exit routes so employees will not have

to travel toward a high-hazard area unless the

path of travel is effectively shielded from the

high-hazard area.

■ Ensure that exit routes are unobstructed such

as by materials, equipment, locked doors, or

dead-end corridors.

■ Ensure that safeguards designed to protect

employees during an emergency remain in

good working order.

■ Provide lighting for exit routes adequate for

employees with normal vision.

■ Keep exit route doors free of decorations or

signs that obscure the visibility of exit route

doors.

■ Post signs along the exit access indicating the

direction of travel to the nearest exit and exit

discharge if that direction is not immediately

apparent. Also, the line-of-sight to an exit sign

must be clearly visible at all times.

■ Mark doors or passages along an exit access

that could be mistaken for an exit “Not an

Exit” or with a sign identifying its use (such as

“Closet”).

■ Install “EXIT” signs in plainly legible letters.

■ Renew fire-retardant paints or solutions often

enough to maintain their fire-retardant

properties.

■ Maintain exit routes during construction,

repairs, or alterations.

■ Provide an emergency alarm system to alert

employees, unless employees can promptly

see or smell a fire or other hazard in time to

provide adequate warning to them.

■ Fixed Extinguishing Systems, Ge

1910.160

■ Fire Detection Systems, 1910.16

■ Grain Handling - 1910.272

■ Ethylene Oxide - 1910.1047

■ Methylenedianiline - 1910.1050

■ 1,3-Butadiene - 1910.1051

What are the minimum elem

an emergency action plan?

■ Procedures for reporting fires an

emergencies.

■ Procedures for emergency evacu

including the type of evacuation a

assignments.

■ Procedures for employees who st

continue critical plant operations.

■ Procedures to account for all em

evacuation.

■ Procedures for employees perfor

or medical duties.

■ Name or job title of employees to 

detailed plan information.

■ Alarm system to alert workers.

In addition, you must designate a

employees to assist in a safe and o

evacuation of other employees. You 

review the emergency action plan w

employee covered when the followi

■ Plan is developed or an employe

initially to a job.

■ Employee’s responsibilities under 

changes.

■ Plan is changed.
2003

Methylenedianiline  1910.1050

■ 1,3-Butadiene - 1910.1051

Here are the minimum provisions of a

fire prevention plan:

■ List of all major fire hazards, proper handling

and storage procedures for hazardous

materials, potential ignition sources and their

control, and the type of fire protection

equipment necessary to control each major

hazard.

■ Procedures to control accumulations of

flammable and combustible waste materials.

■ Procedures for regular maintenance of

safeguards installed on heat-producing

equipment to prevent the accidental ignition of

combustible materials.

■ Name or job title of employees responsible for

maintaining equipment to prevent or control

sources of ignition or fires.

■ Name or job title of employees responsible for

the control of fuel source hazards.

In addition, when you assign employees to a

job, you must inform them of any fire hazards

they may be exposed to. You must also review

with each employee those parts of the fire

prevention plan necessary for self-protection.

OSHA has various publications, s

technical assistance, and compliance 

you, and offers extensive assistance 

workplace consultation, voluntary pr

programs, strategic partnerships, al

plans, grants, training, and educatio

Safety and Health Program Manage

Guidelines (54 Federal Register 390

1/26/89) detail elements critical to 

development of a successful safety a

management system. This and other 

are available on OSHA’s website.

■ For one free copy of OSHA public

self-addressed mailing label to OS

Publications Office, 200 Constitut

N.W., N-3101, Washington, DC 2

send a request to our fax at (202) 

or call us toll-free at (800) 321-O

■ To order OSHA publications onlin

www.osha.gov, go to Publicatio

the instructions for ordering.

■ To file a complaint by phone, repo

emergency, or get OSHA advice, a

products, contact your nearest OS

under the U.S. Department of Lab

your phone book, or call toll-free 

321-OSHA (6742). The teletyp

number is (877) 889-5627.

■ To file a complaint online or obtain 

information on OSHA federal and 

programs, visit OSHA’s website.

This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies, or standards. It d

any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of compliance requirements of OSHA standards 

refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory-impa

upon request. The voice phone is (202) 693-1999. See also OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.