Emergency egress

Designing exits involves more than a study of numbers, flow rates, and population densities. Exits must provide alternative pathways to counter potential exit blockage by fire. Each employee should recognize and report fire safety hazards. 

Exit doors must withstand fire and smoke for a specified length of time. Provide alternative exits and pathways in case fire blocks an exit. Provide exits with adequate lighting and mark exits with readily visible signs. Develop plans to evacuate disabled or wheelchair employees to meet Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requirements. The ADA Title III requires organizations to develop plans to safely evacuate disabled visitors. 

---

Provide safe separation distances for normal operation, maintenance, emergency egress, ergonomics... 

Should open outward in the direction of emergency egress. 

When and emergency egress route is provided it should be protected from the effects of fire and smoke or the personnel equipped with a means to protect themselves when transversing it. It has been shown that people are reluctant to enter into smoke that reduces visibility to less than 10 meters (33 ft.), even when it is not hazardous to do so. Where the effects of fire, smoke and explosions are likely emergency egress route, it is the same as not providing an egress route. 

Green a. Marking of safety equipment (e.g., gas masks, stretchers, etc.). b. Marking of emergency egress and evacuation routes. c. Control panel indication of a "safe" status of a operating mechanism. d. Safety showers and eyewashes. e. Electrical grounding conductors. f. Safe or acceptable condition indicators. 

For enclosed process structures, any inside stairs that serve as an exit or exit component require enclosure to provide personnel protection from smoke and fire during emergency egress. The stair enclosures serving as an exit way must have the following fire-resistive construction ... 

Unit equipment (self-contained battery packs with integral or remote lamps) provide the lowest initial cost for emergency egress lighting and exit signs but require considerable maintenance. 

A portion of a typical mine site power distribution system is shown in Figure 3. This example shows the application of a diesel generator on an emergency power distribution system bus that includes a drum-type auxiliary hoist and other equipment that is also used for emergency egress, air compressors for underground supply air, and resistive load bank used to absorb excess regenerative power from the hoist, if necessary. 

Figure 3. Skip emergency egress piatform (shown in raised position)...

Does the organization conduct realistic emergency egress drills on a regular basis ... 

Facility design also should follow Pamphlet 17 and local codes. Structures should be fire-resistant, and no flammable materials should be kept in the building unless separated from chlorine by firewalls. There should be at least two exits from each area where chlorine is stored or handled and at least two stairways or ladders at each platform. Emergency egress routes should be clearly and prominently marked and kept clear at all times. Many facilities use chlorine monitors to detect any release of chlorine (P73). Ventilation requirements are site-specific but should follow best industry practices [74]. Respiratory protective equipment should be in ample supply. This should meet all governmental requirements it is covered in Section 16.2.1.3. 

I of steel plate, at least Yie-inch (4.763 mm) in thickness, or material of equivalent strength and impact resistance. The canopy shall be sloped to the outside, and so designed that a section may be readily pushed upward to afford emergency egress. The canopy shall cover the top in such a manner as to protect those inside from objects falling in the shaft. 

When an emergency egress route is provided, it should be protected from the effects of fire and smoke or personnel should be equipped with a... 

Fire exit doors Check that all doors that are required to open to provide emergency egress operate correctly. Monthly... 

Ensuring means of escape inciuding corridors and finai exit doors are not obstructed particu-iariy with combustibie materiai >- Ensuring aii doors required to provide emergency egress are cieariy marked and operate as they shouid... 

Are you aware of the emergency egress procedures that operate in the building/s in which you work ... 

Man-Machine Hazards—Ensure the SSP mitigates human hazards caused by automation, such as workload stress, controls design, communications, and emergency egress. 

---