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Regulations(Standards29CFR)TableofContents

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StandardNumber:
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1910
OccupationalSafetyandHealthStandards
E
MeansofEgress
1910.36
Designandconstructionrequirementsforexitroutes.
eCFR

1910.36(a)

Basicrequirements.Exitroutesmustmeetthefollowingdesignandconstructionrequirements:
1910.36(a)(1)

Anexitroutemustbepermanent.Eachexitroutemustbeapermanentpartoftheworkplace.
1910.36(a)(2)

Anexitmustbeseparatedbyfireresistantmaterials.Constructionmaterialsusedtoseparateanexitfromotherpartsoftheworkplacemusthavea
onehourfireresistanceratingiftheexitconnectsthreeorfewerstoriesandatwohourfireresistanceratingiftheexitconnectsfourormorestories.
1910.36(a)(3)

Openingsintoanexitmustbelimited.Anexitispermittedtohaveonlythoseopeningsnecessarytoallowaccesstotheexitfromoccupiedareasofthe
workplace,ortotheexitdischarge.Anopeningintoanexitmustbeprotectedbyaselfclosingfiredoorthatremainsclosedorautomaticallyclosesinan
emergencyuponthesoundingofafirealarmoremployeealarmsystem.Eachfiredoor,includingitsframeandhardware,mustbelistedorapprovedbya
nationallyrecognizedtestinglaboratory.Section1910.155(c)(3)(iv)(A)ofthispartdefines"listed"and1910.7ofthispartdefinesa"nationallyrecognized
testinglaboratory."
1910.36(b)

Thenumberofexitroutesmustbeadequate.
1910.36(b)(1)

Twoexitroutes.Atleasttwoexitroutesmustbeavailableinaworkplacetopermitpromptevacuationofemployeesandotherbuildingoccupantsduring
anemergency,exceptasallowedinparagraph(b)(3)ofthissection.Theexitroutesmustbelocatedasfarawayaspracticalfromeachothersothatifone
exitrouteisblockedbyfireorsmoke,employeescanevacuateusingthesecondexitroute.
1910.36(b)(2)

Morethantwoexitroutes.Morethantwoexitroutesmustbeavailableinaworkplaceifthenumberofemployees,thesizeofthebuilding,itsoccupancy,
orthearrangementoftheworkplaceissuchthatallemployeeswouldnotbeabletoevacuatesafelyduringanemergency.
1910.36(b)(3)

Asingleexitroute.Asingleexitrouteispermittedwherethenumberofemployees,thesizeofthebuilding,itsoccupancy,orthearrangementofthe
workplaceissuchthatallemployeeswouldbeabletoevacuatesafelyduringanemergency.
Notetoparagraph(b)ofthissection:Forassistanceindeterminingthenumberofexitroutesnecessaryforyourworkplace,consultNFPA1012009,
LifeSafetyCode,orIFC2009,InternationalFireCode(incorporatedbyreference,see1910.6).
1910.36(c)

Exitdischarge.
1910.36(c)(1)

Eachexitdischargemustleaddirectlyoutsideortoastreet,walkway,refugearea,publicway,oropenspacewithaccesstotheoutside.
1910.36(c)(2)

Thestreet,walkway,refugearea,publicway,oropenspacetowhichanexitdischargeleadsmustbelargeenoughtoaccommodatethebuildingoccupants
likelytousetheexitroute.
1910.36(c)(3)

Exitstairsthatcontinuebeyondthelevelonwhichtheexitdischargeislocatedmustbeinterruptedatthatlevelbydoors,partitions,orothereffectivemeans
thatclearlyindicatethedirectionoftravelleadingtotheexitdischarge.
1910.36(d)

Anexitdoormustbeunlocked.
1910.36(d)(1)

Employeesmustbeabletoopenanexitroutedoorfromtheinsideatalltimeswithoutkeys,tools,orspecialknowledge.Adevicesuchasapanicbarthat
locksonlyfromtheoutsideispermittedonexitdischargedoors.
1910.36(d)(2)

Exitroutedoorsmustbefreeofanydeviceoralarmthatcouldrestrictemergencyuseoftheexitrouteifthedeviceoralarmfails.
1910.36(d)(3)

Anexitroutedoormaybelockedfromtheinsideonlyinmental,penal,orcorrectionalfacilitiesandthenonlyifsupervisorypersonnelarecontinuouslyon
dutyandtheemployerhasaplantoremoveoccupantsfromthefacilityduringanemergency.
1910.36(e)

Asidehingedexitdoormustbeused.
1910.36(e)(1)

Asidehingeddoormustbeusedtoconnectanyroomtoanexitroute.
1910.36(e)(2)

Thedoorthatconnectsanyroomtoanexitroutemustswingoutinthedirectionofexittraveliftheroomisdesignedtobeoccupiedbymorethan50people
oriftheroomisahighhazardarea(i.e.,containscontentsthatarelikelytoburnwithextremerapidityorexplode).
1910.36(f)

Thecapacityofanexitroutemustbeadequate.
1910.36(f)(1)

Exitroutesmustsupportthemaximumpermittedoccupantloadforeachfloorserved.
1910.36(f)(2)

Thecapacityofanexitroutemaynotdecreaseinthedirectionofexitroutetraveltotheexitdischarge.
Notetoparagraph(f)ofthissection:Informationregardingthe"Occupantload"islocatedinNFPA1012009,LifeSafetyCode,andinIFC2009,
InternationalFireCode(incorporatedbyreference,see1910.6).
1910.36(g)

Anexitroutemustmeetminimumheightandwidthrequirements.
1910.36(g)(1)

Theceilingofanexitroutemustbeatleastsevenfeetsixinches(2.3m)high.Anyprojectionfromtheceilingmustnotreachapointlessthansixfeeteight
inches(2.0m)fromthefloor.
1910.36(g)(2)

Anexitaccessmustbeatleast28inches(71.1cm)wideatallpoints.Wherethereisonlyoneexitaccessleadingtoanexitorexitdischarge,thewidthof
theexitandexitdischargemustbeatleastequaltothewidthoftheexitaccess.
1910.36(g)(3)

Thewidthofanexitroutemustbesufficienttoaccommodatethemaximumpermittedoccupantloadofeachfloorservedbytheexitroute.
1910.36(g)(4)

Objectsthatprojectintotheexitroutemustnotreducethewidthoftheexitroutetolessthantheminimumwidthrequirementsforexitroutes.
1910.36(h)

Anoutdoorexitrouteispermitted.
1910.36(h)(1)

Theoutdoorexitroutemusthaveguardrailstoprotectunenclosedsidesifafallhazardexists
1910.36(h)(2)

Theoutdoorexitroutemustbecoveredifsnoworiceislikelytoaccumulatealongtheroute,unlesstheemployercandemonstratethatanysnoworice
accumulationwillberemovedbeforeitpresentsaslippinghazard
1910.36(h)(3)

Theoutdoorexitroutemustbereasonablystraightandhavesmooth,solid,substantiallylevelwalkwaysand
1910.36(h)(4)

Theoutdoorexitroutemustnothaveadeadendthatislongerthan20feet(6.2m).
[FR6767962,Nov.7,200276FR33606,June8,201179FR76897,Dec.23,2014]

NextStandard(1910.37)
Regulations(Standards29CFR)TableofContents

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