Day 2 of our #FirePreventionWeek Q&A!
Q: What are the OSHA requirements for a building's means of egress?
A: OSHA has minimum height and width requirements for exit routes. OSHA 1910.36 states that "The ceiling of an exit route must be at least 7'6", and any projection from the ceiling must not reach a point less than 6'8" from the floor". In addition, "the exit access must be at least 28" wide at all points. Where there is only 1 exit access leading to an exit/exit discharge, the width of the exit/exit discharge must be at least equal to the width of the exit access". OSHA 1910.37 goes on to mention that "exit routes must also be free and unobstructed. No materials or equipment may be placed, either permanently or temporarily, within the exit route".
As you will see from the pictures below (2nd one in the comments), there are at 2 violations of these OSHA requirements: (1) the emergency exit door is blocked, and (2) one of the bins in the middle reduced the exit access to less than the minimum 28". Even if the obstructions are temporary, they are a violation of OSHA standards and could affect someone from easily escaping during an emergency.
Comments (19)
2nd picture from post
Is this Dollar General? lol.
Good information to remember, unfortunately, these department store employees are not trained in safety, and it seems like it's not a priority at these types of stores. Dollar general keeps getting fined and doesn't seem to be making any changes on the safety concerns going on.
Sadly, this is a common theme in smaller stores like Dollar General. I cannot say how many times I have walked into these stores and witnessed this. It seems to get worse during the holiday season.
Thank you for sharing this!!
OMG...Drew, are you hanging out in Dollar General stores again? These pictures made me cringe. If an emergency or an event happened where they need to immediately evacuate it might turn into a chaotic event. Thanks for sharing.
I really think someone could start a consulting business solely focused on keeping exit routes clear for retail stores. I feel like these places get fined multiple times per year and OSHA is not hesitant to post on their fines page.