Evacuation Route Maps
Hi everyone!
In regards to evacuation route maps physically located throughout shop floors - do you all put primary/secondary routes on the maps? Currently I have a laminated map that I hand draw with sharpie the routes. However, in a lot of these area there are multiple ways to get out..these also fade over time. how do you pick what is the primary route to use if they are all the same distance/time to get outside of the building? Not finding much in OSHA regulations as far as what is required to be on the maps.
Also would love any insight for computer based maps/routes instead of having to hand draw everything.
TIA & Happy New Year!
Comments (7)
i also have somewhere around 75 maps that need to be redone and posted - so anything to help shave down time doing that would be welcome.
Neither OSHA or NFPA require evacuation maps, per se.
As far as avoiding hand-drawing, I'd always use the electronic blueprints for the facility, then just add exit routes to them on the computer. SmartDraw is another option and is what I currently use.
According to OSHA, most buildings should have two emergency exit routes for each room. The primary exit route should lead you to the nearest exit. On the other hand, the secondary route should lead you in the opposite direction of the primary route. This applies even if the route leads you to an exit further away than what the next closest might be. Additionally, OSHA states that “exit routes must be located as far away as practical from each other in case one is blocked by fire or smoke.” If they're the same distance, you can just pick which one is the primary, then ensure the secondary is in the opposite direction.
Sounds like good intern work if you’re authorized to grab an intern!
I like the intern idea. A good job for an intern engineer on a CAD Tube! Your Engineering Dept. probably makes the plant drawings that way! Anyone with CAD experience could do it in heartbeat!
An experienced engineer might find such a task "beneath" them! That is why I like the intern idea!
We are a chemical plant so wind direction and hazard comes to play. So we list primary only and use radios if it changes do to the conditions.