Emergency Preparedness and Response

Exit Routes: Maintenance, Safeguarding, and Operational Requirements

Yesterday, we talked about design requirements for emergency exit routes. Today, we review OSHA’s emergency exit maintenance, safeguarding, and operational requirements.

OSHA standards require emergency exit routes to be maintained in safe and fully operational condition at all times. This means you must:

  • Keep exit routes free of explosive or highly flammable furnishings and other decorations.
  • Arrange exit routes so employees will not have to travel toward a high-hazard area unless the path of travel is effectively shielded from the high-hazard area.
  • Ensure that exit routes are unobstructed such as by materials, equipment, locked doors, or dead-end corridors.
  • Ensure that safeguards designed to protect employees during an emergency remain in good working order.
  • Provide lighting for exit routes adequate for employees with normal vision.
  • Keep exit route doors free of decorations or signs that obscure the visibility of exit route doors.

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You must also:

  • Post signs along the exit access indicating the direction of travel to the nearest exit and exit discharge if that direction is not immediately apparent.
  • Ensure that the line-of-sight to an exit sign is clearly visible at all times.
  • Mark doors or passages along an exit access that could be mistaken for an exit “Not an Exit” or with a sign identifying its use (such as Closet).
  • Install exit signs that are written in plainly legible letters.
  • Renew fire-retardant paints or solutions often enough to maintain their fire-retardant properties.
  • Maintain exit routes during construction, repairs, or alterations.

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Training for Consistent Compliance

Of course, having compliant emergency exits is only part of emergency action. You also have to train employees to follow emergency procedures. That’s where we can help.

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—Bloodborne Pathogens
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