Emergency egress route

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. 

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. 

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... 

Stairs that are designed for two-way traffic, that are an emergency egress route or that may require stretcher access should be 44 inches (1,120 millimeters) or more in width. One-way stairs that are infrequently used and that do not require stretcher access should be 30 inches (760 millimeters) or more in width. 

Incidental combustible liquid storage (e g., lube oil reservoirs, fuel day tanks, etc.) should normally not be installed within 1.8 meters (6 ft.) of an emergency exit route, especially if it is the only means of egress from an enclosure. 

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. 

Blocked or inadequate egress routes and emergency exits... 

All fire exit doors should be identified as such by a standard sign and additional signs, that can be seen from all parts of the occupied area, should be posted to identify emergency escape routes and doors. Directional signs should be used over the full length of the escape route. The final door to the place of safety should be identified on both sides and the area beyond it kept clear of all obstructions to allow a free and rapid egress. 

A rescue plan that identifies escape routes and emergency egress methods should be prepared. The plan should be reviewed by all affected personnel. 

Exit routes and doors from all facilities should be provided according to the requirements of NFPA 101. The minimum width of all exit routes should not be less than a standardized width, 1.0 meter (39 inches) being commonly adopted. Where low occupancy rooms are provided in offshore facilities near process areas, a secondary emergency escape hatch is provided as an alternative means of escape in addition to the normal means of egress. 

VI. Evacuation instructions, including amap of at leasttwo alternative evacuation routes. The primary route shouldbeidentifiedandnormally should bethe shortest,most direct means of egress from the facility. A gathering area should be identified to which evacuees would normally go. This is importantto allow a head count to ensure that everyone did successfully evacuate,and to provide a location where extemalagencies could come in order to receive information concerning the emergency. 

The characteristics of the routes of egress to an exit are also important, especially in as critical a facility as a laboratory building. Care should be taken, just as within the laboratory, for the distances to be as short and direct as practicable. The location of hazardous areas should be chosen to eliminate or minimize the probability of the direction of travel on a primary or secondary evacuation route being toward a likely hazard during an emergency. The normally allowed maximum travel distances for the... 

These types of doors may not be marked as an exit and used as a means of egress. If, during an emergency (i.e., a fire), the door was activated via the fusible link and closed over the regular door, employees could not escape. This would be a violation of 1910.36(d)(2) which states, exit route doors must be free of any device or alarm that could restrict emergency use of the exit route... ... 

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