(9)Fire exits. - (a) In this rule -(i)"horizontal exit", means an arrangement which allows alternative egress from a floor area to another floor at or near the same level in an adjoining building or an adjoining Part of the same building with adequate separation; and(ii)"travel distance" means the distance an occupant has to travel to reach an exit.(b)An exit may be a doorway, corridor, passageway to an external stairway or to a verandah or to an internal stairway segregated from the rest of building by fire resisting walls which shall provide continuous and protected means of egress to the exterior of a building or to an exterior open space. An exit may also include a horizontal exit leading to an adjoining building at the same level.(c)Lifts, escalator and revolving doors shall not be considered as exits for the purpose of this sub-rule.(d)In every room of a factory, exits sufficient to permit safe escape of the occupants in case of fire or other emergency shall be provided which shall be free of any obstruction.(e)The exits shall be clearly visible and suitably illuminated with suitable arrangement irrespective of the fact that whatever artificial lighting is to be adopted for this purpose, to maintain the required illumination in case of failure of the normal source of electric supply.(f)The exits shall be marked in a language understood by the majority of the workers.(g)Iron rung ladders or spiral staircases shall not be used as exit stair cases.(h)Fire resisting doors or roller shutters shall be provided at appropriate places along the escape routes to prevent spread of fire and smoke, Particularly at the entrance of lifts or stairs where funnel or flue effect may be created inducing an upward spread of fire.(i)All exits shall provide continuous means of egress to the exterior of a building or to an exterior open space leading to a street.(j)Exits shall be so located that the travel distance to reach at least one of them on the floor shall not exceed thirty metres.(k)In case of those factories where high hazard materials are stored or used, the travel distance to the exit shall not exceed twenty-two-and-a-half metres and there shall be at least two ways of escape from every room, however small except toilet rooms, so located that the points of access thereto, are out of, or suitably shielded from areas of high hazard.(l)Wherever more than one exit is required for any room, space or floor exits shall be placed as remote from each other as possible and shall be arranged to provide direct access in separate direction from any point in the area served.(m)The unit of exit width used to measure capacity of any exit shall be fifty centimetres. A clear width of twenty-five centimetres shall be counted as an additional half unit. Clear width of less than twenty-five centimeters shall not be counted for exit width.(n)Occupants per unit width shall be fifty for stairs and seventy-five for doors.(o)For determining the exits required, the occupant load shall be reckoned on the basis of actual number of occupants within any floor area of ten square metres per person, whichever is more.(p)There shall not be less than two exits serving every floor area above and below the ground floor, and at least one of them shall be an internal enclosed stairway.(q)For every building or structure used for storage only, and every section thereof considered separately, shall have access to at least one exit so arranged and located as to provide suitable means of escape for any person employed therein, and in any such room wherein ten persons may be normally present, at least two separate means of exit shall be available as remote from each other as practicable.(r)Every storage area shall have access to at least one means of exit which can be readily opened.(s)Every exit doorway shall open into an enclosed stairway, a horizontal exit or a corridor or passageway providing continuous and protected means of egress.(t)No exit doorway shall be less than one hundred centimeters width. Doorways shall not be less than two hundred centimeters in height.(u)Exit doorways shall open outwards, that is, away from the room but shall not obstruct the travel along any exit. No door when opened, shall reduce the required width of stairway of landing to less than ninety centimetres. Overhead or sliding doors shall not be installed for this purpose.(v)An exit door shall not open immediately upon a flight of stairs. A landing at least 1.5 metre x 1.5 metre in size shall be provided in the stairway at each doorway. The level of landing shall be the same as that of the floor which it serves.(w)The exist doorways shall be openable from the side which they serve without the use of a key.(x)Exit corridors and passageways shall be of a width not less than the aggregate required width of exit doorways leading from there in the direction of travel to the exterior.(y)Where stairways discharge through corridors and passageways, the height of the corridors and passageways shall not be less than 2.4 metres.(z)A staircase shall not be arranged round a lift shaft unless the latter is totally enclosed by a material having a fire-resistance rating not lower than that of type of construction of the former.(aa)Hollow combustible construction shall not be permitted.(bb)The minimum width of an internal staircase shall be one hundred centimetres.(cc)The minimum width of treads without nosing shall be twenty-five centimetres for an internal staircase. The treads shall be constructed and maintained in a manner to prevent slipping.(dd)The maximum height of a riser shall be nineteen centimetres and the number of risers shall be limited to twelve per flight.(ee)Hand rails shall be provided with a minimum height of one hundred centimetres and shall be firmly supported.(ff)The use of spiral staircase shall be limited to low occupant load and to a building of height of nine metres, unless they are connected to platforms such as balconies and terraces to allow escapees to pause. A spiral staircase shall be not less than three hundred centimetres in diameter and have adequate head room.(gg)The width of a horizontal exit shall be the same as for the exit doorways.(hh)The floor area on the opposite or refuge side of a horizontal exit shall be sufficient to accommodate occupants of the floor areas served, allowing not less than 0.3 square metre per person. The refuge area shall be provided with exits adequate to meet the requirements of this sub-rule. At lest one of the exits shall lead directly to the exterior or street.(ii)Where there is difference in level between connected areas for horizontal exit, ramps not more than one in eight slope shall be provided. For this purpose steps shall not be used.(jj)Doors in horizontal exits shall be openable at all times.(kk)Ramps with a slope of not more than one in ten may be substituted for the requirements of staircase. For all slopes exceeding in ten and wherever the use is such as to involve danger of slipping, the ramp shall be surfaced with non-slipping material.(ll)In any building, not provided with automatic fire alarm, a manual fire alarm system shall be provided if the total capacity of the building is over five hundred persons, or if more than twenty-five persons are employed above or below the ground floor, except that no manual fire alarm shall be required in one storey buildings where the entire area is undivided and all Parts thereof are clearly visible to all occupants.
