Section 408.10641. Exit access and discharge.

Rule 641. (1) An exit access shall not be through a room subject to locking.

(2)   An exit access shall be so arranged that it will not be necessary to travel through any area of high hazard occupancy in order to reach the nearest exit.

(3)   The minimum width of an exit access shall be at least equal to the required width of the exit to which it leads, but not less than 34 inches. The headroom clearance shall be not less than 6 feet 8 inches from the floor.

(4)   An exit discharge shall discharge directly outside or to a street, walkway, refuge area, public way, or to a yard, court or other open space with access to the outside.

(5)   Stairs and other exits shall be arranged to make clear the direction of egress to the street. Where an exit stairs continues beyond the floor of discharge, it shall be interrupted at the floor of discharge by a partition, door or other effective means.

(6)   Exit access by the way of an exterior balcony, porch, gallery, or roof shall be in compliance with all of the following:

(a)   Be kept free from accumulations of snow and ice.

(b)   Be permanent direct route without obstructions, such as railings, gates, barriers, or other objects, that might divide the space into sections or rooms. Where furniture or other movable objects might block the path of travel, they shall be secured in place or a standard barrier as prescribed in General Industry Safety Standard Part 2 “Floor and Wall Openings, Stairways, and Skylights,” as referenced in R 408.10606, shall protect the path of travel.

(c)   Have no dead ends in excess of 20 feet.

(d)  Comply with this part as to requirements for width and arrangement.

(7)    The street, walkway, refuge area, public way, or open space to which an exit discharge leads shall be large enough to accommodate the building occupants likely to use the exit route.

(8)   An exit door shall be unlocked.

(9)   An outdoor exit route is permitted.

(10)   The outdoor exit route shall have all of the following:

(a)   Guardrails to protect unenclosed sides if a fall hazard exists.

(b)    Be covered if snow or ice is likely to accumulate along the route, unless the employer can demonstrate that any snow or ice accumulation will be removed before it presents a slipping hazard.

(c)   Be reasonably straight and have smooth, solid, substantially level walkways.

(d)  Not have a dead-end that is longer than 20 feet (6.2 m).

(11)    An exit access shall be so arranged that employees will not have to travel toward a high hazard area, unless the path of travel is effectively shielded from the high hazard area by suitable partitions or other physical barriers.

History: 1979 AC; 2015 AACS.