Top Items OSHA Wants You to Remember When Developing Emergency Evacuation Floor Plans

• Where applicable, exits with wheelchair access should be designated on the floor plan. To learn more about accommodating people with disabilities in emergencies consult the National Fire Protection Association’s “Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide For People with Disabilities”

• Emergency exit routes should lead away from rooms containing potentially hazardous materials so no employee will be forced to pass that area during an emergency.

• Even if an exit door exists, emergency exit routes cannot be designated through restrooms.

• Signs indicating “Exit” with a directional arrow must be placed in every location where the direction of travel to reach the nearest exit is not immediately apparent.

• The floor plan should include a “You Are Here” indication based on where the plan is posted.

• Your evacuation floor plan should designate at least one primary exit and one secondary exit. These exits must be remote from each other and so arranged as to minimize any possibility that both may be blocked by the same fire or other emergency condition.

• The floor plan of a multiple-story building should show the locations of stairways and elevators and must indicate that the stairs, not the elevators, are the appropriate means of exit in case of emergency.

• An assembly location should be designated outside the building for employees to gather during an emergency. If shown on the map, the location of this assembly area should be clearly illustrated.

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