Article 121Supplement v1, p. 121

COMMERCIAL LAWS SUPPLEMENT

from any storey of a building shall be determined by

using

the

occupant

load

of

that

storey

plus

the

percentage of the occupant loads of floors which exits

through the level under consideration as follows: fifty (50)

per cent of the occupant load in the first adjacent storey

above (and the first adjacent storey below when a storey

below exits through the level under consideration) and

twenty five per cent of the occupant load in the storey

immediately

beyond

the

first

adjacent

storey.

The

maximum exit width from any storey of a building shall

be maintained.

(3) Arrangement of Exits . — If only two exits are required

they shall be placed a distance apart to not less than

one-fifth of the perimeter of the area served measured in

a straight line between exits. Where three or more exits

are required they shall be arranged a reasonable distance

apart so that if one becomes blocked, the others will be

available.

(4) Distance to Exits . — No point in a building without a

sprinkle system shall be more than 45.00 meters from an

exterior exit door, a horizontal exit, exit passageway, or an

enclosed stairway, measured along the line of travel. In a

building

equipped

with

a

complete

automatic

fire

extinguishing system the distance from exits may be

increased to 60.00 meters.

(c) Doors . — The provisions herein shall apply to every exit

door serving an area having an occupant load of more

than 10 or serving hazardous rooms or areas.

(1) Swing . — Exit door shall swing in the direction of exit

travel when serving any hazardous areas or when serving

an occupant load of 50 or more. Double acting doors shall

not be used as exits serving a tributary occupant load of

more than 100; nor shall they be used as a part of fire

assembly, nor equipped with public hardware. A double

acting door shall be provided with a view panel of not less

than 1,300 square centimeters.

(2) Type of Lock or Latch . — Exit door shall be openable

from the inside without the use of a key or any special

knowledge or effort: Except , that this requirement shall

not apply to exterior exit doors in a Group E or F

Occupancy if there is a conspicuous, readily visible and

durable sign on or adjacent to the door, stating that the

door is to remain unlocked during business hours. The

locking device must be of a type that will readily be

distinguishable as locked. Flush bolts or surface bolts are

prohibited.

(3) Width and Height . — Every required exit doorway shall

be of a size as to permit the installation of a door not less

than 900 millimeters in width and not less than 2.00

meters in height. When installation in exit doorways, exit

doors shall be capable of openings at least 90 decrees

and shall be so mounted that the clear width of the exit

way is not less than 700 millimeters. In computing the

required exit width the net dimension of the exitway shall

be used.

(4) Door Leaf Width . — No leaf of an exit door shall exceed

1.20 meters in width.

(5) Special Doors . — Revolving, sliding, and overhead

doors shall not be used as required exits.

(6) Egress from Door . — Every required exit door shall give

immediate access to an approved means of egress from

the building.

(7) Change in Floor Level at Doors . — Regardless of the

occupant load there shall be a floor or landing on each

side of an exit door. The floor or landing shall be leveled

with, or not more than 50 millimeters lower than the

threshold of the doorway: Except , that in Group A and B

occupancies, a door may open on the top step of a flight

of stairs or an exterior landing provided the door does not

swing over the top step or exterior landing and the

landing is not more than 200 millimeters below the floor

level.

(8) Door Identification . — Glass doors shall conform to the

requirements in Section 1005. Other exit doors shall be so

marked that they are already distinguishable from the

adjacent construction.

(9)

Additional

Doors .

—

When

additional doors are

provided for egress purposes, they shall conform to all

provisions in the following cases: Approved revolving

doors having leaves which will collapse under opposing

pressures may be used in exit situations: Provided, That

such doors have a minimum width of 2.00 meters or they

are not used in occupancies where exits are required to

be

equipped

with

panic

hardware

or

at

least

one

conforming exit door is located adjacent to each revolving

doors installed in a building and the revolving door shall

not be considered to provide any exit width.

(d) Corridors and Exterior Exit Balconies . — The provisions

herein shall apply to every corridor and exterior exit

balcony serving as required exit for an occupant load of

more than ten.

(1) Width . — Every corridor or exit balcony shall not be less

than 1.10 meters in width.

(2) Projections . — The required width of corridors and

exterior exit balconies shall be an obstructed: Except that

trim handrails, and doors when fully opened shall not

reduce the required width by more than 200 millimeters.

Doors in any position shall not reduce the required width

of the corridor by more than one-half.

(3) Access to Exits . — When more than one exit is

required, they shall be arranged to allow going to either

direction from any point dead ends permitted by this

Code.

(4) Dead Ends . — Corridors and exterior exit balconies

with dead ends are permitted when the dead end does

not exceed 6.00 meters in length.

(5) Construction . — Walls and ceilings of corridors shall

not be less than one-hour fire-resistive construction.

Provided , that this requirement shall not apply to exterior

exit

balconies,

railings,

and

corridors

of

one-storey

building housing a Group E and F Occupancy occupied

by one tenant only and which serves an occupant load of

30

or

less,

nor

to

corridors,

formed

by

temporary

partitions. Exterior exit balconies cannot project into an

area where protected openings are required.

(6) Openings . — Where corridor wall are required to be

one-hour fire-resistive construction, every interior door

opening shall be protected as set forth in generally

recognized and accepted requirements for dual purpose

fire exit doors. Other interior openings except ventilation

louvers equipped with approved automatic fire shutter

shall be 7 millimeters thick fixed wire glass set in steel

frames. The total area of all openings other than doors, in

any portion of an interior corridor wall shall not exceed

twenty-five percent of the area of the corridor wall of the

room being separated from the corridor.

(e) Stairways . — Except stairs or ladders used only to

access, equipment, every stairway serving any building or

portion

thereof

shall

conform

to

the

following

requirements:

(1) Width . — Stairways serving an occupant load of more

than 50 shall not be less than 1.10 meters. Stairways

serving an occupant load of 50 or less may be 900

millimeters wide. Private stairways serving an occupant

load of less than 10 may be 750 millimeters. Trim and

handrails shall not reduce the required width by more

than 100 millimeters.

(2) Rise and Run . — The rise of every step in a stairway

shall not exceed 200 millimeters and the run shall not less

than 250 millimeters. The maximum variations in the

height of risers and the width of treads in any one flight

shall be 5 millimeters: Except , in case of private stairways

serving an occupant load of less than 10, the rise may be

200 millimeters and the run may be 250 millimeters,

except as provided in sub-paragraph (3) below.

(3) Winding Stairways . — In Group A Occupancy and in

private stairways in Group B Occupancies, winders may

be used if the required width of run is provided at a point

not more than 300 millimeters from the side of the

© Compiled by RGL

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