CHAPTER 3

Means of Escape

3.1 SCOPE

The provisions of this section shall control the design, construction and arrangement of building
components to provide a reasonably safe means of escape therefrom. Buildings shall be evacuated during
any repair or alteration works unless the existing means of escape and fire protection system are
continuously maintained or other exit and protection measures are taken to provide an equivalent degree of
safety.

3.2 COMPONENTS OF MEANS OF ESCAPE

3.2.1 A means of escape shall be a continuous and unobstructed way of exit travel from any point in a building
to a street, the roof of a building or a designated area of refuge. The path of travel along a means of escape
may consist of three parts : (a) the exit access, (b) the exit, and (c) the exit discharge. That portion of the
means of escape which leads to the entrance of an exit and is included in the measure of travel distance to
reach an exit shall be termed the exit access. The exit itself shall be considered to be that portion of the
means of escape which is protected from the area of incidence and provides a safe path to the exit discharge.
The exit discharge shall comprise any portion of the travel between the termination of exit and the exterior
or the area of refuge.

3.2.2 The parts of the means of escape may consist of any of the following exit components :

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a) A doorway, corridor or passage leading to an exterior or interior staircase, smoke proof and fireproof
enclosure, ramp, balcony, fire escape or combination thereof, having direct access to the street, the roof
of a building or any designated refuge area which affords safety from fire or smoke from the area of
incidence;

b) A horizontal exit from the affected building to an adjoining building or an area of refuge at the same
level which provides safety from fire and smoke from the area of incidence and the areas
communicating therewith.

3.2.3 Lifts, escalators and moving walks shall not be regarded as components of means of escape.

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3.3 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

3.3.1 All buildings constructed for human occupancy or storage shall be provided with adequate exit facilities to
permit safe and quick unaided escape of the occupants in the event of fire or other emergency.

3.3.2 An exit shall at no time be used for any purpose that would interfere with its use as a means of escape.

3.3.3 Exits and exit access corridors shall not be used as supply or return air ducts.

3.3.4 Where changes in elevation not exceeding 300 mm exist in exits or exit access corridors, ramps shall be used.
At exterior doors not required to be used by handicapped or aged people, a maximum step down of 200
mm shall be permitted.

All exits shall be clearly visible and exit access corridors and passages leading to the exit shall be marked
and signposted to guide the occupancy traffic. Exit signs in pubic places used during the hours of darkness
and those in areas required to have more than one exit or exit access shall be illuminated in accordance with
the provisions of Sec 1.5 of Part 8.

3.3.5 The owner or lessee of all new and existing buildings shall be responsible for the safety of all occupants. If
in any existing building, the exit facilities are deemed inadequate in view of the requirements of this Code,
the Authority may order additional provisions to be incorporated in the building in order to minimize
hazard to life of the occupants.

3.4 LOCATION AND ARRANGEMENT OF EXITS

3.4.1 All exits shall be easily discernible and accessible from the areas served by them.

3.4.2 Exit from any room or space shall not open into an adjoining or intervening room or area except where such
adjoining room or area is an accessory to the area served, is not a hazardous occupancy and provide a direct
escape to the designated exit area.

3.4.3 No portion of an exit route shall pass through a room that may be subject to locking or be intervened by a
door that may be locked when the building is occupied.

3.4.4 All assembly buildings shall front on at least one street on which the main exit discharge shall be located.
The main entrance to an assembly building shall also serve as the main exit capable of providing escape for
at least one-half of the total occupant load. For assembly buildings having more than one levels or floors
each level shall be provided with additional exits capable of providing escape for at least two-thirds of the
occupant load served by that level.

3.4.5 All exits shall be so located and arranged that they provide continuous and unobstructed means of escape to
the exterior of the building leading to a street or to other designated areas of refuge.

3.5 OCCUPANT LOAD

3.5.1 Design Occupant Load

The occupant load for which the exit facilities are to be provided shall be established by the largest number
computed by the provisions of (a), (b) and (c) below :

a) The actual number of occupants for whom the area served by the exits is designed;

b) Number of occupants computed at the rate of one occupant per unit of floor area as prescribed in
Table 4.3.1.

c) The number of occupants in any area as computed by the provisions of (a) or (b) above plus the number
similarly computed for all spaces that discharge through this space in order to gain access to the exit .

3.5.2 Fixed Seats

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The occupant load for an assembly or educational area having fixed seats shall be determined by the seating
capacity of the area. For fixed seats without dividing arms, the capacity shall be taken as one person for
every 500 mm of seat.

3.5.3 Maximum Occupant Load

The occupant load calculated as above need not exceed one person per 0.3 m2 of usable floor space.

3.5.4 Mezzanine Floors

The occupant load of a mezzanine floor discharging through a floor below shall be added to the receiving
floor's occupant load.

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3.5.5 Roofs
Roofs used as assembly, educational or other areas of human occupancy shall be provided with exit
facilities for the required occupant load.

3.6 CAPACITY OF EXIT COMPONENTS

The capacity of means of exit shall be adequate for the occupant load of the area served thereby. The
required width of each exit component shall be computed on the basis of the exit width per occupant
prescribed in Table 4.3.2, subject to the minimum width of each such component specified in Sec 3.7, 3.8, 3.9,
3.10, 3.11 and 3.12.

Table 4.3.1
Occupant Load for Various Occupancies

Occupancy Unit of Floor Area

in m2 per Occupant
A Residential 18 gross

B Educational
class room 2 net (see also Sec 3.5)
preschool 3.5 net

C Institutional 12 gross

D Health Care
In patient areas 15 gross
Out-patient areas 10 gross

E Assembly
with fixed seats See Sec 3.5
without fixed seats 0.7 net
standing space only 0.3 net
with table and chairs 1.5 net

F Business and Mercantile

Office space 10 gross
Shopping/sales area 3 gross

G Industrial 10 gross
H Storage 30 gross
J Hazardous 10 gross

Table 4.3.2
Required Exit Width per Occupant

Buildings without Sprinkler Buildings thoroughly Sprinkled

Occupancy System (mm per person) (mm per person)
Stairways Ramps & Doors Stairways Ramps & Doors
Corridors Corridors
A Residential
B Educational 8 5 4 5 4 4
F1,F2, Business &
F4 Mercantile
G Industrial
H Storage

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C1,C2, Institutional 10 5 4 5 5 4
C3
C4 Institutional 8 5 4 8 5 4

D Health Care 25 18 10 15 12 10

E Assembly
F3 Business and 10 7 5 7 5 5
Mercantile

J Hazardous 8 5 4 8 5 4

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3.7 CORRIDORS AND PASSAGEWAYS

3.7.1 Direct route of access to required exits shall be provided through continuous passageways, corridors or
aisles which are maintained free of obstructions. As far as practicable, occupants commencing exit travel at
any point along the corridor or passageway shall be lead to an exit irrespective of their direction of travel.
The length of a dead end in which no exit door is available shall not exceed 10 m.

3.7.2 The minimum required width of corridors and passageways shall be determined on the basis of the
occupant load in accordance with the provisions of Sec 3.6, but it shall not be less than the most restrictive of
the following :

a) 1.1 m where serving an occupant load of more than 50.

b) 0.9 m where serving an occupant load of 50 or less.
c) 2.4 m in Health Care buildings (Occupancy D) where movement of beds is necessary.
d) 1.8 m in Educational buildings (Occupancy B) where the occupant load is more than 150.

3.7.3 The width of exit corridors and passageways shall not be less than the aggregate of the required width of
doors leading from them towards the exterior.

3.7.4 The minimum clear height of the corridors and passageways shall not be less than 2.4 m.

3.7.5 All exit access corridors shall have a fire resistance rating of 1 hour or more.

3.7.6 Door assemblies opening on to the exit access corridors shall be fire doors having a fire resistance rating of
at least 20 minutes when tested in accordance with ASTM E152 without the hose stream test.

3.8 ASSEMBLY AISLES

3.8.1 Assembly buildings which contain seats, tables, equipment or displays shall be provided with aisles, free of
obstructions, leading to the exit.

3.8.2 Exit access aisles may be level or ramped with slopes not exceeding 1 in 8. The clear width of level or
ramped aisles shall be obtained at the rate of 5 mm per person, subject to the minimum specified in Sec
3.8.4.

3.8.3 When stepped aisles are provided the minimum tread depth shall be 275 mm. The required width per
person shall be obtained from the following expressions, subject to the minimum specified in Sec 3.8.5.

For aisles with handrails,

width = 7 + 0.04 (R - 175) mm per person;
For aisles without handrails,
width = 9+ 0.04 (R - 175) mm per person;
in which R = 175, for rise up to 175 mm, and R = the rise, for rise greater than 175 mm.

The rise shall not be less than 100 mm nor more than 200 mm.

3.8.4 The minimum width of level or ramped aisles shall be as specified below :

Seats on both sides of the aisle 1m

Seats on one side of the aisle 0.9 m

3.8.5 The minimum width of stepped aisles shall be as specified below :

Seats on both sides of the aisle 1.2 m

Seats on one side of the aisle 1m

3.8.6 The minimum clear gap between rows, measured as the clear horizontal distance between the back of the
row ahead and the nearest projection of the row behind shall be 300 mm. For chairs having automatic or

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self-rising seats, the measurement shall be made with the seats in the raised position; for non-automatic
seats the measurement shall be taken with the seats in the down position.

3.8.7 For rows of seats served by aisles or doorways at both ends, the number of seats per row shall not exceed
100. The minimum clear gap between rows shall be increased beyond 300 mm specified in Sec 3.8.6 by
7 mm for each seat in excess of 15, but the clear gap need not exceed 550 mm.

3.8.8 For rows of seating served by an aisle or doorway at only one end of the row, the path of travel shall not
exceed 10 m from any seat to the aisle or doorway. The minimum clear gap between rows shall be increased
beyond 300 mm specified in Sec 3.8.6 by 15 mm for each seat in excess of 7, but the clear gap need not
exceed 550 mm.

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3.9 DOORWAYS

3.9.1 Each occupant of a room or space shall have access to at least one exit or exit access door. The occupant load
per exit door and the travel distance up to that door shall not exceed the values specified in Table 4.3.3.

3.9.2 Where either the occupant load or the travel distance exceeds the values specified in Table 4.3.3, at least two
exit doors shall be provided.

3.9.3 The width of a doorway shall not be less than 1 m and the height not less than 2 m.

3.9.4 No sliding or hanging door shall be used as a means of exit.

3.9.5 All exit access doors shall be of a side-swinging type. When the occupant load exceeds 50, or in a hazardous
occupancy, the doors shall swing outward from the room or in the direction of travel. Swinging of the door
shall not constrict the width of the corridor below 0.9 m measured at the most critical position.

3.9.6 Exit doorways shall not open directly on a flight of stairs. A space of width not less than the width of the
doorway shall be maintained immediately outside the doorway. The space shall be at the same level as that
of the floor the door serves.

Table 4.3.3
Maximum Occupant Load and Travel Distance for Spaces with One Exit Door

Occupancy Maximum Maximum Travel

Occupant Load Distance (m)
A Residential
C Institutional 12 23
D Health Care

B Educational
E Assembly
F Business & Mercantile 50 23
G Industrial

H Storage 30 30

J Hazardous 5 8

3.9.7 Revolving doors shall not be used as a means of exit in assembly, educational or institutional buildings or in
spaces with an occupant load of 200 or more. In all other cases revolving doors shall not constitute more
than half of the total required exit door width. No power operated revolving door that cannot be operated
manually in the event of power failure shall be permitted.

3.9.8 All exit doors shall be openable from the side they serve without the use of a key.

3.10 STAIRWAYS

3.10.1 The required width of exit stairways shall be computed in accordance with the provisions of Sec 3.6, but it
shall not be less than the minimum widths specified in Table 4.3.4.

Table 4.3.4
Minimum Widths of Exit Stairways

Occupancy Minimum Width of Stairway (m)

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A Residential
A1, A2 1.0
A3, A5 1.5
A5 0.75

B Educational
Occupant load up to 15 1.5
Occupant load more than 150 2.0

E Assembly
E1, E3, E5 2.0
E2, E4 1.5

All others 1.5

3.10.2 The least dimension of landings and platforms in exit stairways shall not be less than the required width of
stairway, except that the landing between two stair flights in a straight run shall not be required to be wider
than 1.2 m in the direction of travel.

3.10.3 The rise and tread dimensions and the headroom requirements shall conform to the provisions Sec 1.12.5 of
Part 3.

3.10.4 Spiral and winding stairways shall be permitted as an element of a means of escape only within a dwelling
unit and from a mezzanine floor not more than 25 m2 in area. The minimum width of all such stairways
shall be 650 mm with each tread having a minimum depth of 200 mm at a distance of 300 mm from the
narrower end. All treads shall be identical. The rise shall not be more than 225 mm with a permissible
tolerance of 5 mm between adjacent risers and 10 mm between the largest and the smallest risers.

3.10.5 Stairways serving as means of escape shall have continuous guards and handrails on both sides. Where the
width of the stair exceeds 2.2 m, intermediate handrails shall be provided so that no point on the stair is
farther than 1 m from the handrails.

3.10.6 All exit stairways shall be constructed of materials that conform to the fire resistance requirements of the
type of construction of the building, except that solid wooden handrails shall be permitted for all types of
construction.

3.10.7 An exit stairway shall not be built around a lift shaft unless the enclosure of the lift shaft is solid and made
of a material with fire resistance rating required for the type of construction of the building.

3.10.8 Exterior staircases used as fire escapes shall not be considered as a means of exit, unless they lead directly to
the ground, are separated from the building interior by fire resistive assemblies or walls and are constructed
of noncombustible materials.

3.11 RAMPS

3.11.1 The minimum width of exit ramps shall not be less than that required for corridors by Sec 3.7.

3.11.2 The slope of an exit ramp shall not exceed 1 in 8, but for slopes steeper than 1 in 10 the ramp shall be
surfaced with approved non-slip material or finished such as to effectively prevent slipping.

3.11.3 Guards or handrails shall be provided on both sides of ramps having slope steeper than 1 in 15.

3.12 HORIZONTAL EXITS

3.12.1 The connection between an area of the building which the horizontal exit serves and the area of refuge or
another building shall be provided with protected openings in 2 hour fire resistance rated walls, or by open
air balcony or bridge.

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3.12.2 The horizontal exit shall be protected from the area of incidence by self closing type fire door.

3.12.3 The width of a horizontal exit shall not be less than 1 m.

3.12.4 The slope of the horizontal exit shall not exceed 1 vertical in 10 horizontal. No steps shall be used in
horizontal exits.

3.12.5 Where the horizontal exit serves as an exit from only one side, all doors shall swing in the direction of
escape travel. Where exit from both sides may be required, the doors shall have two leaves opening in
opposite directions, or there shall be adjacent doors opening in opposite directions. The doors shall be
openable at all times when the building is occupied without the use of a key.

3.12.6 The discharge area of a horizontal exit shall be either public spaces or private to the occupants of the
building. The capacity of the area of refuge or building on the refuge side shall be computed as the
minimum net floor area excluding stairways, shafts etc. The required capacity of refuge shall be 0.28m2 per
occupant. In the case of patients confined to bed in hospitals and clinics etc., the required capacity of refuge
shall be 2.8m2 per bed.

3.13 SMOKE PROOF ENCLOSURES

3.13.1 A smoke proof enclosure shall consist of an interior stairway conforming to Sec 3.10 and an exterior balcony
or a ventilated vestibule.

3.13.2 All exit stairways serving occupants located more than 23 m above the ground shall be protected by a
smoke proof enclosure.

3.13.3 There shall be access to the stairways from every storey by way of a vestibule or an open balcony. The
minimum width of a vestibule shall not be less than 1.1 m nor less than the width of the corridor leading to
the vestibule. The minimum length of a vestibule in the direction of escape travel shall be 1.8 m.

3.13.4 The minimum fire resistance rating of the walls separating the smoke proof enclosure from the area of
incidence shall be 4 hours with no openings other than the required fire doors for exit.

3.13.5 All doors in smoke proof enclosure shall be self closing type or they shall be fitted with automatic closing
devices triggered by the fire detection system installed at the floor side entrance to the enclosure. The
activation of fire detection system at any door in any floor shall activate the automatic door closers of all the
doors at all levels of the smoke proof enclosure.

3.13.6 When access to the stairway is through a vestibule instead of an open exterior balcony, the vestibule shall
have adequate natural ventilation. Each vestibule shall have a minimum area of opening of 1.5 m2 in an
exterior wall facing a courtyard, street or public way wider than 6 m.

3.14 NUMBER OF EXITS

3.14.1 The requirements of the number of exits specified in this subsection shall apply to buildings of all
occupancy groups unless a more restrictive requirement for any occupancy is provided in Chapter 5, Part 4
or elsewhere in this Code.

3.14.2 Only one means of exit shall suffice for the buildings specified in Table 4.3.5 provided that they do not
have more than one floor below the level of exit discharge.

3.14.3 For all other buildings the required number of exits shall depend on the occupant load as specified below :

Occupant load 500 or less Minimum 2 exits

Occupant load 501 to 1000 Minimum 3 exits
Occupant load more than 1000 Minimum 4 exits

Table 4.3.5

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Buildings Served by One Means of Exit

Occupancy Maximum Other Restrictions

Number of Storeys
All 1 Maximum occupant load 100 and maximum travel
distance 25 m
A1 2 Maximum occupant load 30
A2 6 Maximum 12 dwelling units
A3 4 Maximum 50 occupants per floor and maximum travel
distance 25 m
A4 6 Maximum 50 occupants per floor and maximum travel
distance 25 m
A5 2 Maximum occupant load 50
B, C 2 Maximum occupant load 200
D 2 Maximum occupant load 50
F, G, H 2 Maximum occupant load 100 and maximum travel
distance 25 m

3.14.4 All buildings more than 6 storeys or 20 m in height and all buildings having a floor area larger than 500 m2
on each floor, used as educational, institutional, assembly, industrial, storage or hazardous occupancy or a
mixed occupancy involving any of these, shall have a minimum of two staircases. The staircases shall be of
the enclosed type and shall lead directly to the exterior or the designated area of refuge.

3.15 LENGTH OF TRAVEL

3.15.1 Exits shall be arranged in such a manner that the travel distance from any point in the area served shall not
exceed the following values :

Occupancy A, B, C, D, E, J 25 m
Occupancy F, H 30 m
Occupancy G 45 m

3.15.2 Wherever more than one exit are required in a building they shall be placed as remote as possible from each
other. As far as practicable, exits shall be arranged in such a manner as to provide refuge to a person
irrespective of the direction of travel from any point in the area served.

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3.16 MEANS OF EXIT SIGNS AND ILLUMINATION

3.16.1 All required means of exit or exit access in buildings or areas requiring more than one exit shall be
signposted. The signs shall be clearly visible at all times, where necessary supplemented by directional
signs. All exit doors shall be clearly marked for easy identification.

3.16.1.1 Location : Exit signs shall be installed at stair enclosure doors, horizontal exits and other required
exits from the storey. When two or more exits are required from a room or area, exit signs shall be installed
at the required exits from the room or area and where otherwise necessary to clearly indicate the direction
of escape.

Exceptions :
1. Main exterior exit doors which obviously and clearly are identifiable as exits need not be signed when approved by
the Building Official.
2. Exit signs are not required for buildings of Occupancy A1 and individual units of A2.
3. No sign is needed for exits from rooms or areas with an occupant load of less than 50 when located within C1, C2 or
C3 Occupancy.

3.16.1.2 Graphics : The colour and design of lettering, arrows and other symbols on exit signs shall be in
high contrast with their background. Words on the signs shall be at least 150 mm high with a stroke of not
less than 20 mm.

3.16.1.3 Illumination : Signs shall be internally or externally illuminated by two electric lamps or shall be
of an approved self-luminous type. When the luminance on the face of an exit sign is from an external
source, it shall have an intensity of not less than 5.0 foot-candles from either lamp. Internally illuminated
signs shall provide equivalent luminance.

3.16.1.4 Source of Power : Supply of power to one of the lamps for exit signs shall be provided by the
premises' wiring system. Power to the other lamp shall be from storage batteries or an on-site generator set
and the system shall be installed in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 2, Part 8.

3.16.1.5 Floor-level Exit Signs : For floor-level exit signs additional approved low-level exit signs which
are externally or internally illuminated, or self-luminous, shall be provided in all interior exit corridors
serving guest rooms of hotels in Occupancy A5. The bottom of the sign shall be less than 150 mm or more
than 200 mm above the floor level. For exit doors, the sign shall be on the door or adjacent to the door with
the closest edge of the sign within 100 mm of the door frame.

3.16.1.6 Amusement Building Exit Marking : Approved exit direction marking and exit signs shall be
provided. Approved low-level exit signs and directional marking shall be located not more than 200 mm
above the walking surface and at the exit path.

3.16.2 All exit signs shall be illuminated at night, or during dark periods within the area served, in accordance
with the provisions of Sec 1.5.1, Part 8

3.16.3 The means of exit and exit access in buildings requiring more than one exit shall be equipped with artificial
lighting. The lighting facilities shall satisfy the requirements of Sec 1.5.2, Part 8.

3.17 EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR OCCUPANCY A : RESIDENTIAL

In Addition to the general exit requirements specified in Sec 3.3 through 3.16 residential buildings shall
satisfy the particular exit requirements specified in this section.

3.17.1 A1 Detached Single Family Dwelling

3.17.1.1 Every sleeping room in a detached single family dwelling having more than two bedrooms shall
have at least one exit door directly leading to the building's means of exit or the exterior. In addition, every
sleeping room in the ground, first and second floors shall have an emergency escape route through an
openable window or door in accordance with the requirements of Sec 2.5.3.2 of Part 3.

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3.17.1.2 Rooms having access to it only by removable ladder, folding stair or trap door shall not be used as
a habitable room.

3.17.1.3 All locking devices shall be prohibited should it impede or obstruct exit, such as chain type bolts,
limited opening sliding type locks and burglar locks which do not disengage easily by quick-release catches.
All closet door latches shall be such that all occupants including children can manipulate and open it from
inside.

3.17.1.4 Basement shall not be used to accommodate habitable rooms.

3.17.2 A2 Flats or Apartments

3.17.2.1 All dwelling units of occupancy A2 shall comply with the exit requirements specified for
occupancy A1.

3.17.2.2 Basement of such buildings with floor level not more than 2.5 m below the formation level may
house a heating plant, incinerator room or such other hazardous occupancy, provided that the access to the
basement is only from the exterior of the building.

3.17.2.3 At least half of the required exits shall discharge directly to the outside of the building.

3.17.3 A3 Mess, Boarding Houses, Dormitories and Hostels

The dwelling units of occupancy class A3 shall comply with the exit requirements specified under Sec 3.17.1
and 3.17.2 above.

3.17.4 Minimum Standard Housing

Provisions specified for occupancy A1 and A2, as detailed in Sec 3.17.1 and 3.17.2 above shall be complied
with.

3.17.5 A5 Hotels and Lodging Houses

3.17.5.1 All floors including the basement shall have access to at least two exit points located as remote as
possible.

3.17.5.2 The exits shall be linked with a common lobby or open area, so that the occupants may choose any
of the two travel paths in case of emergency.

3.17.5.3 Single exit shall be permitted where the rooms open directly to the street or a grade level and the
travel distance from any point of the building to the exit is not more than 15 m.

3.17.5.4 Habitable rooms in basements shall have at least two independent exits.

3.17.5.5 Basements, which are not open to public and used for storage or as electro-mechanical room or for
other service operation shall have exit appropriate for that particular use in accordance with the provisions
of this Code.

3.18 EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR OCCUPANCY B : EDUCATIONAL

In addition to the general exit requirements specified in Sec 3.3 through 3.16, educational buildings shall
satisfy the following exit requirements.

3.18.1 There shall be at least two separate exits on every floor of the building and the exits shall be as far apart as
possible.

3.18.2 There shall not be any dead end pockets in the circulation corridors and on the exit route.

3.18.3 Rooms having capacity of accommodating 100 persons shall have two doorway and such doorways shall
provide access to separate exits or shall open to a passageway leading to separate exits in opposite direction.

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3.18.4 The door locks of classroom shall be of simple type so that the occupants can operate the locks easily during
emergency.

3.19 EXIT REQUIREMENT FOR OCCUPANCY C : INSTITUTIONAL

In addition to the provisions set forth in Sec 3.3 through 3.16, institutional buildings shall satisfy the
following exit requirements.

3.19.1 At least two exits shall be provided for every floor. The exits may be of one or more of the following types.
a) Doors leading directly outside the building
b) Stairways
c) Ramps
d) Horizontal exits

3.19.2 Revolving doors shall not be considered as an exit.

3.19.3 The exits of custodial and penal and mental institutions shall have a minimum clear width of 1.5 m and the
corridors serving the inmates shall have a minimum width of 2.4 m.

3.19.4 The elevators and lifts shall not be counted as exits.

3.19.5 The fire doors and smoke barriers shall be kept open during normal operation but shall close automatically
during emergency. Provisions of manual closing of fire or smoke door during emergency shall be provided.

3.19.6 Reliable means shall be provided to permit prompt release of inmates from any locked section in case of fire
or other emergency. Adequate number of guards and other personnel shall be continuously on duly to
evacuate the inmates from penal and mental institutions during emergency.

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3.20 EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR OCCUPANCY D : HEALTH CARE

In addition to the provisions set forth in Sec 3.3 through 3.16, health care facilities shall satisfy the
requirements as detailed in Sec 3.19 above.

3.21 EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR OCCUPANCY E : ASSEMBLY

In addition to the general requirements specified in Sec 3.3 through 3.16, assembly buildings shall satisfy the
particular exit requirements specified in this section.

3.21.1 Large assembly buildings with fixed seats (Occupancy E1) shall have at least four separate exits located as
remote from each other as possible.

3.21.2 Small assembly buildings with fixed seats (Occupancy E2) shall have at least two separate exits located as
remote as possible from each other. If the capacity of assembly exceeds 600 persons, at least three exits shall
be provided.

3.21.3 Assemblies of Occupancy E3, E4 and E5 shall have at least two means of exits leading directly to the street
or leading to a corridor or open space having access to exits in two independent and different direction.

3.21.4 For fixed seat assemblies, clear width of aisles shall not be less than 1.2 m and no seats shall be seven seats
away from the aisles. Cross-aisles for every 10 rows of seating shall be provided to facilitate direct access to
the exit. Steps shall not be provided in aisles, unless the gradient exceeds 1 in 10.

3.21.5 Balconies, galleries, fascia of boxes shall be provided with railings not less than 650 mm high above the
floor.

3.21.6 No turnstile or other devices to restrict the movements of persons shall be installed in assembly areas.

3.21.7 In theatres and similar places, the waiting lobby shall be designed in such a way that it does not encroach
the required width of exit. The exits of theatres, auditorium etc. shall be designed in such a way that these
may serve the people inside the theatre or auditorium and the people waiting in the lobby simultaneously at
the time of emergency.

3.21.8 Display of exit signs shall be placed in such a way that it does not interfere with the access of any exit. No
mirror shall be placed adjacent to exit way as it may confuse the direction of exits.

3.21.9 The interior finish of lobby, exit corridor and exit shall be of a noncombustible material.

3.22 EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR OCCUPANCY F : BUSINESS AND MERCANTILE

In addition to the general requirements as specified in Sec 3.3 through 3.16, business and mercantile
buildings shall meet the requirements of this section.

3.22.1 At least two exits shall be provided for every floor including the basement of a business and mercantile
building.

3.22.2 The occupancy of mezzanine floor, balconies, open floor space etc., which are linked with the main business
or mercantile building shall be taken into consideration for determining the exit requirements.

3.23 EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR OCCUPANCY G : INDUSTRIAL

In addition to the provisions specified in Sec 3.3 through 3.16, industrial buildings shall meet the
requirements specified in this section.

3.23.1 At least two exits shall be provided for each floor including basement of an industrial building.

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 Chapter 3
Means of Escape

3.23.2 For very large industrial buildings like aircraft assembly hanger, jute and textile mills etc., additional means
of exit shall be provided so that the travel distance from any work area to exit point does not exceed 30 m.

3.24 EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR OCCUPANCY H : STORAGE

In addition to the general requirements as specified in Sec 3.3 through 3.16, storage facilities shall satisfy the
requirements detailed in this section.

3.24.1 All structures which are used as storage and have more than 1400 m2 of floor area or where more than 10
persons are normally present shall have at least two separate means of exit.

3.24.2 During operational hours, the door locks of a storage building shall be kept in such a way that these can be
unlocked easily during a fire or emergency.

3.24.3 The parking garages shall have at least two separate means of exit.

3.24.4 Exits from aircraft hangers shall be provided at intervals of not more than 45 m on all exterior walls and
there shall be a minimum of two exits for each aircraft storage or servicing area.

3.24.5 For grain or other silos, there shall be at least one dust proof, noncombustible tower connecting all the
floors. Self closing noncombustible door shall have to be provided at each floor landing.

3.24.6 An exterior basket type ladder shall be provided form the roof of workhouse to ground level.

3.25 EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR OCCUPANCY J : HAZARDOUS

The exit requirements for hazardous occupancy shall be those specified in Sec 3.3 through 3.16. Exits in such
occupancy shall also meet the requirements of Sec 3.23.

Bangladesh National Building Code 4-17

Part 4
Fire Protection

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