Require Buffer Floor Area For Passageways Exit Door

Osha has begun focusing more attention on emergency exit route compliance in recent years as seen in a memo to the agency s personnel.

Require buffer floor area for passageways exit door. In other than group i 2 and group i 2 1 occupancies not more than 50 percent of the ceiling area of a means of egress shall be permitted to be reduced. An exit route might seem like one of the simplest parts of a workplace. 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. One when the door serves a room or area with an occupant load of 50 or more persons.

A side hinged exit door must be used. Two when the door is used in an exit. In theory that may be true but technically speaking exit routes must have specific features and meet detailed osha requirements. Further the code requires the swinging doors to open in the direction of egress travel under any of four conditions.

An exit may comprise vertical or horizontal means of travel such as doorways stairways ramps corridors and passageways. 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. Just look for the exit sign and head for the door right. Side hinged exit doors must be used to connect rooms to exit routes.

Side hinged exit doors must be used to connect rooms to exit routes. 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. Exit routes must be at least 28 inches wide at all points. Protruding objects are permitted to extend below the minimum ceiling height required by section 1003 2 where a minimum headroom of 80 inches 2032 mm is provided over any circulation paths including walks corridors aisles and passageways.

Exit components include walls floor doors or other means that provide the protected path necessary for the occupants to proceed with reasonable safety to the exterior of the building. Protruding objects are permitted to extend below the minimum ceiling height required by section 1003 2 provided a minimum headroom of 80 inches 2032 mm shall be provided for any walking surface including walks corridors aisles and passageways. Exit routes must support the maximum permitted occupant load for each floor served and the capacity of an exit route. 1910 36 g 3 the width of an exit route must be sufficient to accommodate the maximum permitted occupant load of each floor served by the exit route.

Life safety code requires doors in a means of egress to be of the side hinged or pivoted swinging type. Doors that connect any room to an exit route must swing out in the direction of travel.