Emergency Exit Routes

How would you escape from your workplace in an emergency? Do you know where all 

the exits are in case your first choice is too crowded? Are you sure the doors will be 

unlocked and that the exit access, such as a hallway, will not be blocked during a fire, 

explosion, or other crisis? Knowing the answers to these questions could keep you 

safe during an emergency.

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.

• Exit discharges must lead directly outside or to 

a street, walkway, refuge area, public way, or 

open space with access to the outside. These 

exit discharge areas must be large enough to 

accommodate the building occupants likely to 

use the exit route.

• Exit stairs that continue beyond the level on which 

the exit discharge is located must be interrupted 

at that level by doors, partitions, or other effective 

means that clearly indicate the direction of travel 

leading to the exit discharge.

• Exit route doors must be unlocked from the 

inside. They must be free of devices or alarms 

that could restrict use of the exit route if the 

device or alarm fails.

• Side-hinged exit doors must be used to connect 

rooms to exit routes. These doors must swing 

out in the direction of exit travel if the room is 

to be occupied by more than 50 people or if the 

room is a high-hazard area.

• Exit routes must support the maximum 

permitted occupant load for each floor served, 

and the capacity of an exit route may not 

decrease in the direction of exit route travel to 

the exit discharge.

• Ceilings of exit routes must be at least 7 feet, 

6 inches high.

• An exit access must be at least 28 inches wide 

at all points. Where there is only one exit access 

leading to an exit or exit discharge, the width of 

the exit and exit discharge must be at least equal 

to the width of the exit access. Objects that 

project into the exit must not reduce its width.

• Outdoor exit routes are permitted but must meet 

the minimum height and width requirement for 

indoor exit routes and must

− have guardrails to protect unenclosed sides if 

a fall hazard exists;

− be covered if snow or ice is likely to 

accumulate, unless the employer can 

demonstrate accumulations will be removed 

before a slipping hazard exists;

− be reasonably straight and have smooth, 

solid, substantially level walkways;and

− not have a dead-end longer than 20 feet.

FactSheet
What are the requirements for exits?

• Exits must be separated by fire resistant 

materials—that is, one-hour fire-resistance 

rating if the exit connects three or fewer stories 

and two-hour fire-resistance rating if the exit 

connects more than three floors.

• Exits are permitted to have only those openings 

necessary to allow access to the exit from 

occupied areas of the workplace or to the exit 

discharge. Openings must be protected by a selfclosing, approved fire door that remains closed or 

automatically closes in an emergency.

What are the maintenance, 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 deadend 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.

Are employers required to have emergency 

action plans?

If you have 10 or fewer employees, you may 

communicate your plan orally. If you have more than 

10 employees, however, your plan must be written, 

kept in the workplace, and available for employee 

review. Although employers are required to have 

an emergency action plan (EAP) only when the 

applicable OSHA standard requires it, OSHA strongly 

recommends that all employers have an EAP. Here 

are the OSHA standards that require EAPs:

• Process Safety Management of Highly 

Hazardous Chemicals - 1910.119

• Fixed Extinguishing Systems, General - 1910.160

• Fire Detection Systems, 1910.164

• Grain Handling - 1910.272

• Ethylene Oxide - 1910.1047

• Methylenedianiline - 1910.1050

• 1,3-Butadiene - 1910.1051

What are the minimum elements of an 

emergency action plan?

• Procedures for reporting fires and other 

emergencies.

• Procedures for emergency evacuation, including 

the type of evacuation and exit route assignments.

• Procedures for employees who stay behind to 

continue critical plant operations.

• Procedures to account for all employees after 

evacuation.

• Procedures for employees performing rescue or 

medical duties.

• Name or job title of employees to contact for 

detailed plan information.

• Alarm system to alert workers.

In addition, you must designate and train 

employees to assist in a safe and orderly 

evacuation of other employees. You must also 

review the emergency action plan with each 

employee covered when the following occur:

• Plan is developed or an employee is assigned 

initially to a job.

• Employee’s responsibilities under the plan changes.

• Plan is changed.

Must all employers have fire 

prevention plans?

If you have 10 or fewer employees, you may 

communicate your plan orally. If you have more than 

10 employees, however, your plan must be written, 

kept in the workplace, and available for employee 

review. Although employers are only required to have 

a fire prevention plan (FPP) when the applicable OSHA 

standard requires it, OSHA strongly recommends 

that all employers have a FPP. The following OSHA 

standards require fire prevention plans:

• Ethylene Oxide - 1910.1047

• 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.

How can I get more information on exit 

route safety?

For more detail on exit routes and related 

standards see Exit Routes, Emergency Action 

Plans, and Fire Prevention Plans in Title 29 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1910.33-39; and 

OSHA Directive CPL 2-1.037, Compliance Policy 

for Emergency Action Plans and Fire Prevention 

Plans. In addition, employers who comply with the 

exit route provisions of the National Fire Protection 

Association’s 101-2009, Life Safety Code, or the 

exit provisions of the International Fire Code, 2009, 

will be considered in compliance with the OSHA 

requirements for exit routes.

Workers’ Rights

Workers have the right to:

• Working conditions that do not pose a risk of 

serious harm.

• Receive information and training (in a language 

and vocabulary the worker understands) about 

workplace hazards, methods to prevent them, and 

the OSHA standards that apply to their workplace.

• Review records of work-related injuries 

and illnesses.

• File a complaint asking OSHA to inspect their 

workplace if they believe there is a serious hazard 

or that their employer is not following OSHA’s 

rules. OSHA will keep all identities confidential.

• Exercise their rights under the law without 

retaliation, including reporting an injury or 

raising health and safety concerns with their 

employer or OSHA. If a worker has been 

retaliated against for using their rights, they 

must file a complaint with OSHA as soon as 

possible, but no later than 30 days.

For additional information, see OSHA’s 

Workers page (www.osha.gov/workers).

How to Contact OSHA

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 

of 1970, employers are responsible for providing 

safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. 

OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for 

America’s working men and women by setting 

and enforcing standards, and providing training, 

education and assistance. For more information, 

visit www.osha.gov or call OSHA at 1-800-321-

OSHA (6742), TTY 1-877-889-5627.

DSG FS-3943 03/2018

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

standards. It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of 

compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals upon request. 

The voice phone is (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: (877) 889-5627.