This code specifies general exit requirements and personal hazard guidelines for fire safety in buildings. It provides norms for calculating occupant loads, exit capacities, travel distances, and design parameters for safe evacuation routes including doorways, corridors, and stairs.
Defines requirements for means of escape, exit capacities, and protection from personal hazards in case of fire.
Quick Reference Values
unit of exit width500 mm
minimum stair width residential1.0 m
minimum stair width educational1.5 m
minimum stair width assembly2.0 m
max travel distance residential22.5 m
max travel distance hazardous9.0 m
Practical Notes
Always cross-check these provisions with the latest National Building Code (NBC) Part 4, as local fire authorities typically enforce NBC 2016 provisions over older standalone IS codes.
The travel distance must be measured along the actual path of egress travel, avoiding structural obstacles and furniture, rather than as a straight-line radius.
A standard unit of exit width is 500 mm; fractions of a unit are not counted toward exit capacity unless they equal a 250 mm half-unit.