Exit route inspection checklist

Before you use it

• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.37 sets no inspection interval; the conditions below must hold at all times. Under 1910.37(a)(3), exit routes must be free and unobstructed, with no materials or equipment placed within the route either permanently or temporarily; the exit access may not go through a room that can be locked, such as a bathroom, nor lead into a dead-end corridor; and stairs or a ramp must be provided where the route is not substantially level.
• Safeguards that protect employees in an emergency, such as sprinkler systems, alarm systems, fire doors and exit lighting, must be in proper working order at all times (1910.37(a)(4)). Exit routes must be kept free of explosive or highly flammable furnishings or decorations, and arranged so that employees do not travel toward a high hazard area unless the path is effectively shielded by partitions or other barriers (1910.37(a)(1)–(2)).
• Lighting and marking under 1910.37(b): each route adequately lighted so that an employee with normal vision can see along it; each exit clearly visible and marked by a sign reading “Exit”; exit route doors free of decorations or signs that obscure them; signs along the exit access where the direction of travel is not immediately apparent, with the line of sight to an exit sign clearly visible at all times; any doorway that could be mistaken for an exit marked “Not an Exit” or by its actual use; and exit signs illuminated to at least five foot-candles (54 lux) by a reliable light source, distinctive in color, with the word “Exit” in plainly legible letters at least six inches (15.2 cm) high and principal strokes at least three-fourths of an inch (1.9 cm) wide.
• Doors: under 1910.36(d), employees must be able to open an exit route door from the inside at all times without keys, tools or special knowledge, and the door must be free of any device or alarm that could restrict emergency use if it fails. During repairs or alterations, employees may not occupy the workplace unless the required exit routes are available and existing fire protection is maintained, or equivalent alternate protection is furnished (1910.37(d)(2)). The employee alarm system must be operable, with a distinctive signal (1910.37(e)).
• Run the checklist once per exit route and name the route. Alarm and sprinkler testing follow their own schedules; this walk confirms the safeguards are in place and show no fault.