Have you ever been in an overcrowded room or public assembly space such as a theater or restaurant and wondered if you could exit safely if an emergency occurred? Be aware that if there’s an emergency, most people will try to exit the way they entered. This is one reason be aware of all exits when in assembly areas.

If 50 or more people are in a room, it must have at least two exits. If it doesn’t, leave and call the host’s or manager’s attention to the fact that a room with one exit can safely occupy only 49 people or less.

Some rooms are used as multi-purpose rooms and have loose furniture such as tables and chairs. If these are large rooms with two or more exits, it’s usually not a problem if some people remain standing. The problem comes when the furniture has been moved to block the aisle space to the exit. Keep aisles to the exit clear and never block the exit doors with furniture or equipment.

Meeting rooms with 50 or more people are required to have the occupancy load limit posted. As a baseline, this limit is normally determined using about 1.4 square meters (15 net square feet) per person. If you have a question or need assistance with determining the occupancy load limit for a given space, please call your company fire protection engineer or the Hanford Fire Marshal, 373-4022, for assistance.

Hanford Reach, August 3, 1998