Egress design

A chemical warehouse may contain multiple uses or occupancies that should be evaluated separately for means of egress design. Personnel facilities (offices, breakrooms, lavatories, etc.) should not be located in the same fire area as warehouse operations. At least a one-hour fire-rated separation between warehouse and non-storage areas should be provided a greater fire rating could be required. 

Specific criteria and requirements for means of egress design can be found in local and national building codes as well as in the NFPA 101, Life Safety Code. The Life Safety Code is one of the most widely used standards for means of egress design in the U.S. Means of egress requirements typically entail the following elements ... 

Lathrop, J. (2008). Concepts of egress design. In Fire Protection Handbook (20th ed.). National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. 

Design equipment layout to accommodate emergency needs—response, ingress, egress... 

Worker eomfort areas ean be loeated in site work zones. These eomfort zones allow workers to take breaks and rest without being eontaminated. These areas are designed to maintain the safety of workers and generally require speeial proeedures for ingress and egress, personnel and air monitoring, potable water eonsumption, and restroom use [1],... 

Sometimes in the design of a BSL-4 facility, the full letter of health and safety codes/requirements for the protection of workers can not be met. This is where health and safety specialists must compromise and use their ingenuity to meet the intent of the requirements. For example, it is not always possible to provide a secondary means of egress from each area. Two change facilities are not cost effective or practical. A viable alternative is the use of airlocks with built-in liquid disinfection systems which are not hazardous to humans, but destroy the biohazard. These airlocks must be clearly identified as others are often used for transportation of equipment and other materials and contain hazardous disinfection systems. 

The building design should not contribute to the likelihood of flying debris. Canopies and vestibules should be avoided since they frequently become dislodged and could block critical means of egress. 

Properly designed ladders are recognized and allowed as the primary and, possibly only, means of access to and egress from certain locations. In common practice, these are locations accessed only by people capable of using a ladder, not frequently attended, and not occupied by more than three people. These may include ... 

Every attempt should be made to incorporate facilities for health and safety protection of plant personnel in the original design. This includes, but is not limited to, protected walkways, platforms, stairs, and work areas. Physical hazards, if unavoidable, must be clearly defined. In such areas, means for egress must be unmistakable. All machinery must be guarded with protective devices4 In all cases, medical services and first-aid must be readily available for all workers. 

Design considerations for the means of egress in a chemical warehouse include ... 

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