Exits

Topic index

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Overview

How many “Egress” signs have you seen lately? Egress is a curious artifact of rule writing that refers to an entire exit system from a building: the stairs, the corridors, and evacuation routes outside the building. “Exits” are a means of egress, but most of us just look for the familiar “Exit” sign when we need a way to get out of a building in a hurry and we do not have time to think about the exit system.

Exits were not always as important as they are today. In 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in a downtown Manhattan garment factory killed 146 workers because exits were not clearly marked and most doors were bolted shut to keep the workers from leaving.

All available content

Publications

Checklists
- Exit doors
  Checklist for exit doors.
  English
- Exits and exit routes
  Checklist for exits (access and egress).
  English
Fact sheets
- Lo que debe saber sobre las salidas y rutas de salida
  Things you should know about exits and exit routes
  Este documento describe las normas estatales y federales para la señalización y el trazado de las salidas de emergencia.
  Spanish 02/04/2026
- Reseña de las superficies transitables de trabajo
  Walking-working surfaces: At a glance
  Proporciona una descripción general de los requisitos de las superficies para caminar y trabajar en los lugares de trabajo de la industria en general.
  Spanish 05/20/2024
- Things you should know about exits and exit routes
  This outlines state and federal rules for marking and routing exits.
  English 04/06/2023
- Walking-working surfaces: At a glance
  Provides an overview of walking-working surface requirements in general industry workplaces.
  English 04/15/2024
References
- Rules with requirements
  We get many calls and emails from employers asking the same question. It begins: “Which of your rules have requirements for…” You can finish the sentence with words like “recordkeeping,” “employee training,” and “written documents.” To answer those questions, we’ve organized these rules requirements into a filterable, sortable, searchable table.
  English 05/10/2019

Education and training

Rules and rule-related

Final Rules
Program Directives
- Warehousing and Distribution Center Operations
  Policies and procedures when conducting comprehensive safety inspections in warehousing and distribution center operations, parcel delivery/courier services, and certain high injury rate retail establishments.
  A-305 12/29/2023

Exits

Overview

All available content

Publications

Education and training

Rules and rule-related

Video Resources

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Watch Online

Additional Resources