Promoting Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities · 2018-01-24 · 1 Foreword The...

Promoting Safe Egressand Evacuation forPeople with Disabilities

Contents1 Foreword Page 5

2 Introduction Page 102.1 Background 102.2 The aims of This Document 112.3 Target Audience 142.4 How to Use This Document 14

3 Initial Review Page 173.1 Carrying Out the Initial Review 183.2 Summary 20

4 Egress Policy Page 214.1 Legislation 234.2 Responsibility for Means of Escape 264.3 Evacuation Strategies 274.4 Typical Details Contained Within

an Egress Policy 284.5 Summary 28

5 Planning for Egress Page 295.1 Understanding the Problem 315.2 Egress Issues for People

with Disabilities 345.3 Assessing the Risk 395.4 Consultation 425.5 General Means of Escape

Design Principles 435.6 General Warning and Alarm 455.7 Wayfinding 495.8 Horizontal Movement 54

Promoting Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities

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AcknowledgementsThis document was prepared for the NDA by:• Michael McGlennon,White Young Green;• Stephen Montgomery,White Young Green; and• Barry Turner,White Young Green.

Our special thanks to:• Peter Carroll, PM Group;• Paddy O’Brien, Cheshire Ireland;• Kenneth Moore, Office of Public Works;• Francis Power, Health and Safety Authority; and• all those who participated in the consultation process.

ISBN: 978-1-870499-18-7

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1 ForewordThe access of buildings for people with disabilities hasattracted considerable attention in recent years and a greatdeal of work has been undertaken to improve the accessibilityof public buildings for people with disabilities.

The Disability Act 2005 and the responsibilities that it placeson public bodies to ensure the accessibility of their buildingshas led to accessibility audits being carried out which will seeconsiderable changes made to public buildings in advance ofthe 2015 deadline. Equality legislation enacted over the lastdecade also requires public bodies to provide for the needsof their employees and customers with disabilities.

In many cases, public bodies are striving to go beyond theirminimum legal obligations to create environments that areuniversally accessible to as wide a group as possible.

This period of improvement in the accessibility of buildingspresents a considerable opportunity to implement measuresto ensure prompt and safe egress for people with disabilitiesin the event of an evacuation or emergency situation.

Ensuring safe egress in an emergency is a complex issue,requiring consideration of a broad range of factors, includingthe design and usage of a building, the training of staff and theprovision of appropriate equipment and facilities.Thoseresponsible for buildings must ensure safe egress for all andthis requires consideration of the needs of everyone usingthe building, particularly the specific requirements of peoplewith disabilities.


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5.9 Refuges 555.10 Vertical Movement 605.11 Advice on Specific Building Types 665.12 Emergency Planning 745.13 Summary 78

6 ImplementingYour Egress Plan Page 836.1 Making Changes to the Building 856.2 Communicating the Plan 866.3 Evacuation Aids 876.4 Staff Training 916.5 Evacuation Drills 936.6 Summary 94

7 Measuring Performance ofYour Egress Plan Page 977.1 Demonstrating Performance 987.2 Summary 100

8 Reviewing Performance ofYour Egress Plan Page 1018.1 Regular Reviews 1018.2 Audit 1048.3 Summary 104

9 Conclusion Page 107

Appendices Page 1081. Glossary ofTerms;2. PEEP Questionnaire andTemplate;3. RiskAssessment Checklist;4. Further Information.

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The National Disability Authority has produced this guideto promote safe egress and evacuation for people withdisabilities. It will be of interest to all public sector staff withresponsibility for evacuation, including building and facilitiesmanagers, health and safety personnel and human resourcesprofessionals.The information contained within the guide willalso be of interest to people with disabilities, their families andrepresentative organisations, to building designers and tothose who manage buildings operated in the private sector.

We would like to encourage all those with responsibility forbuilding management and for ensuring safe egress in the eventof an emergency to take the time to consider this guide andto develop and implement plans to ensure that everyone cansafely and quickly exit a building when required.

Dr Angela KerinsChairperson

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• establishing the Centre for Excellence in UniversalDesign, which contributes to development and promotionof standards, awareness, education and professionaldevelopment in the field of Universal Design.

As part of its work, the NDA has commissioned White YoungGreen to prepare a guidance document that provides advicein relation to safe egress and evacuation for people withdisabilities.The guidelines are based in the context of Irishlegislation and Building Regulations, and draw on relevantlocal and international good practice.

2.2 TheAims of This DocumentOver many years, guidance has focused on improving bothaccessibility and the use of buildings and facilities for allpotential users. Equal importance must also be given toensuring safe egress. Recent developments in health and safetylegislation require this to be addressed.This guide can assistbuilding operators to meet their obligation to create a safeenvironment for all.

The main aims of this document are:• Aim 1 – to provide the reader with an appreciation of

the problem and an understanding of egress issues thatparticularly affect people with disabilities;

• Aim 2 – to impart the ability to identify egress featuresthat are normally designed into buildings and thecapability of using this information in preparing riskassessments and emergency evacuation plans;

• Aim 3 – to give guidance on providing safe egress forpeople with disabilities; and


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2 Introduction2.1 BackgroundThe National Disability Authority (NDA) is the nationalindependent statutory body established to advise the Ministerfor Justice, Equality and Law Reform on policy and practicerelating to people with disabilities. It was set up in 1999 by anAct of the Oireachtas called the National Disability AuthorityAct 1999.The NDA has been in operation since June 2000and has undertaken a wide range of activities in an effort toachieve better outcomes for people with disabilities.

The work of the NDA includes:• advising the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law

Reform to develop policy on issues concerning peoplewith disabilities;

• researching, collecting and analysing information onissues related to disability and services for peoplewith disabilities;

• advising on standards and quality of services for peoplewith disabilities;

• preparing codes of practice that will help achieve highstandards and good quality in services for people withdisabilities;

• monitoring the establishment and use of standards andcodes of practice;

• acknowledging when services have achieved highstandards and good quality;

• working with those who provide services to peoplewith disabilities and helping and supporting them inestablishing quality standards; and

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• NDA (2002),Building for Everyone,The NationalDisability Authority, Dublin;

• The Building Regulations (Ireland) 1997-2006,Technical Booklet M 2004 –Access for Peoplewith Disabilities;

• The Building Regulations (Ireland) 1997-2006,TechnicalBooklet B 2006 – Fire Safety;

• BS8300: 2001,Design of Buildings andTheirApproaches to Meet the Needs of Disabled People– Code of Practice,The British Standards Institution;

• BS5588,Fire Precautions in Design andConstruction of Buildings,The British StandardsInstitution, 1988;

• Health and Safety Authority guidance document for thehealthcare sector – How to Develop and Implementa Safety and Health Management System.

Owing to the new accessibility responsibilities placed onpublic sector bodies in Part 3 of the Disability Act (2005),this document provides a background introduction to theprinciples of safe egress and specific guidance on requirementsfor public sector buildings only. Although this document doesnot provide specific guidance to the private sector, the generalprinciples are applicable. Appendix 4 identifies further reading.

It is recognised that the skills required to make a meaningfulassessment of the built environment, together with theincorporated fire safety systems and the specific needs ofpeople with disabilities, are highly specialised. Externalguidance could be obtained from suitably qualified andexperienced persons such as:• access auditors;


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• Aim 4 – to identify good practice in relation to safeegress for people with disabilities.

Building managers, for example, may face the followingquestions when designing egress policies and procedures:• How does a person with a hearing impairment know

when a fire alarm is activated?

• How does a wheelchair user vacate an upper storey ofa property if the passenger lifts cannot be used duringevacuation?

• How would a person with learning difficulties understandcomplex escape signage?

• Is safe egress for people with disabilities the responsibilityof the Fire Service or building management?

• What support does a person with a cognitive or mentalhealth impairment require?

This document provides guidance on safe egress of publiclyowned and operated buildings for people with disabilities.The document covers:• guidance in relation to management policy, planning

and practices;

• background into the behaviour of people duringevacuation;

• general building design issues;

• information on assistive technology and equipment;

• issues specific to certain building types and uses; and

• where to get additional information.

Good practice has been identified from relevant publications.The following list identifies the main documents reviewed:

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management system form the main chapter headings of thisdocument. Figure 1 outlines the relationship between them.

Initial Review

This section outlines the information that needs to becollected to enable an emergency egress plan to be developed,and to set the scope and outcomes of the planning process.

Egress Policy

An understanding of egress policy and relevant statutoryrequirements, guidelines and standards are detailed within thissection. It also identifies who is responsible for ensuring safemeans of escape.

Planning for Egress

This is one of the main sections of the document and sets outthe principal information required to assist with planning forsafe egress. Information relating to the problem, egress issuesaffecting people with disabilities, risk assessment, consultation,planning and design issues are all discussed.

ImplementingYour Egress Plan

Issues relating to managing and implementing the egress planare described within this section. A planned and systematicapproach to implementing egress procedures will ensure safeegress for all. The section includes information relating tomanaging egress, personal emergency egress plans, evacuationaids and training.

Measuring Performance ofYour Egress Plan

Information relating to measurement, monitoring and evaluatinga safe egress system are included within this section.


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• fire risk assessors; and• fire engineers.

In any event, an egress audit carried out by an independentexpert should form an intrinsic part of any access audit orfire risk assessment.

2.3 TargetAudienceThe guide offers good practice advice on how to provide safeegress from buildings for people with disabilities. It is envisagedthat the guidelines will be of interest to designated managers,facilities managers, accommodation officers, health and safetypersonnel, access officers, disability liaison officers, humanresource professionals and others who have a responsibilityto ensure the accessibility and safety of the built environment.

It will also be of interest to design consultants and disabilityorganisations involved with accessibility matters as well aspeople with disabilities and their families and carers.

It is anticipated that the guide will be used in two ways:• A designated manager may use the document to ensure

suitable procedures or facilities are in place to warrantsafe egress; or

• A designer may refer to the guidelines to ensure goodpractice within their design.

2.4 How to Use This DocumentThis document is structured to follow the principles of a typicalsafety and health management system.This management systemidentifies the key elements needed to assist the target audiencein providing egress for all.The six key elements of the

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Development of these techniques

Feedback loop toimprove performance

Egress Policy

IndependentAuditing

Information link

Control Link

Planning forEgress

ImplementingYour Egress Plan

MeasuringPerformance ofYour Egress Plan

ReviewingPerformance ofYour Egress Plan

Initial Review

Development ofthese techniques


Egress Policy

IndependentAuditing

Information link

Control Link

Planning for Egress

Implementing Your Egress Plan


Reviewing Performance ofYour Egress Plan

Initial Review

3 Initial Review

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Details on the procedures required to review the egresssystem are contained here.

Figure 1: Key elements of an emergencyegress management system

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• The Fire Certificate for the building, including any fireengineering strategy that formed part of the FireCertificate application for the building. The FireCertificate will usually comprise of a written reportwith associated fire safety drawings;

• Existing access audit or risk assessments for egress thatmay be available, which identify problems and detail themitigating steps that have been taken in the past;

• Information on life safety systems installed in the building.Such systems will include fire detection and warning,escape lighting, fire suppression, wayfinding and smokecontrol systems;

• Information on the specification and operation ofpassenger and other lifts;

• Feedback reports from previous emergency evacuations,both actual and fire drills;

• Statistical information on fire alarm activation frequency,false alarms, locations times, etc;

• Records of fire safety or evacuation training given to staff;

• The number and location of fire and evacuation wardens;

• Personal Evacuation Egress Plans (PEEPs); and

• Feedback from building users.

This information can be collated and held centrally forreference during the planning process.

The second stage of the initial review is to determine theegress needs for staff and visitors.This can be best achievedby surveys, questionnaires or interviews with staff and otherusers of the building, including visitors, contractors andattendees at training courses and meetings.


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IntroductionThe completion of an initial review will assist with meeting thefollowing aims of this document:• Aim 1 – to provide the reader with an appreciation of

the problem and an understanding of egress issues thatparticularly affect people with disabilities; and

• Aim 2 – to impart the ability to identify egress featuresthat are normally designed into buildings, and thecapability of using this information in preparing riskassessments and emergency evacuation plans.

Before getting involved in the detail of developing andimplementing the emergency egress plan, it is important totake an overview of the current situation and establish thedesired outcomes.

3.1 Carrying Out the Initial ReviewThe first step in the initial review is to bring together all theinformation held by the organisation that relates to emergencyegress matters.

The following are some examples of the pieces of informationthat might be available:• Safety Statement;

• Fire and General Records Register;

• Minutes of Health and Safety meetings;

• Any existing emergency egress plan;

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Development of these techniques


Egress Policy

Independent Auditing

Information link

Control Link

Planning for Egress




Initial Review

4 Egress Policy

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The final stage of the initial review is to consider theinformation gained in Stages 1 and 2 and use it to:• identify egress needs;

• highlight current problems with emergency egress; and

• establish the scope and objectives of the emergencyegress management system.

3.2 Initial Review – Summary• Gather all available existing information;

• Find out about the egress needs of staff and otherbuilding users;

• Review the information to determine objectives.

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• How are conflicts between providing access and ensuringsafety resolved?

An understanding of the legislation that impacts upon safeegress is important so that the full extent of the obligationsplaced upon building operators is known. It is also importantto be clear about where the responsibility for ensuring safeegress lies and to establish the overall strategy for emergencyegress from the building.

4.1 LegislationIn addition to a moral duty of care to building users, there area number of pieces of legislation that place a responsibility onpublic bodies, building owners and employers to ensure thesafety, health and welfare of anyone using a particular building.

Safety,Health andWelfare atWorkAct (2005)

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005) requiresevery employer to ensure the design, provision and maintenanceof a safe means of access to and egress from the workplacefor employees.

Sections 8, 9 and 10 of this Act require that sufficientinformation, training and supervision is provided to ensure thesafety of employees, and also that such instruction, training, etc.must take account of any employees with specific needs, toensure their protection against dangers that may affect them.

Under Section 11, employers are required to prepare andrevise adequate plans and procedures to be followed andmeasures to be taken in the case of an emergency, and thatemployers provide the necessary measures for fire fighting


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IntroductionThe Egress Policy section of the document will assist withmeeting the following aims:• Aim 1 – to provide the reader with an appreciation of


• Aim 2 – to impart the ability to identify egress featuresthat are normally designed into buildings and thecapability of using this information in preparing riskassessments and emergency evacuation plans; and

• Aim 3 – to provide guidance on providing safe egressfor people with disabilities.

Organisations have an obligation to ensure that all usersof their buildings can escape safely in an emergency. It isnecessary for those responsible to have clear policy objectivesfor safe egress and to demonstrate a commitment to ensuringthat the needs of everyone can be met.To meet this objective, itwill be necessary for organisations to comply with all statutoryrequirements, and commit adequate and reasonable financialresources and personnel.

The organisation’s approach to a whole range of issues needsto be established such as:• Are all areas of the building to be fully accessible to

everyone or is access restricted in some way?

• What is the organisation’s policy on first aid fire fighting?

• Are staff with disabilities and other users of the buildingwith disabilities required to advise management of theirpresence in the building?

• How are visiting groups of people with disabilitiesaccommodated and managed?

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exception of domestic buildings, to obtain a Fire SafetyCertificate for the premises.Although there are differentcertificates for different types of development, it is necessaryfor developers to send a copy of their designs to their localfire authority for approval.

There are 37 fire authorities throughout Ireland and theircontact details are available at www.irishfireservices.com(NB.This is not an official fire authority website).

Part M (2000) of the Building Regulations, entitled ‘Accessfor People with Disabilities’, covers issues relating toaccessibility.

Indoor EventsAct (2003)

The Licensing of Indoor Events Act (2003) places aresponsibility on any person to whom a licence has beengranted to take all reasonable measures to ensure the safetyof everyone attending the event.

Equality and disability legislation

There are also a number of Acts that provide a legislativeframework for organisations to ensure that premises andservices comply with minimum accessibility requirements.These include the Employment Equality Act (1998/2004), theEqual Status Act (2000/2004), the Disability Act (2005) and theSafety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005).

The main driving legislation for ensuring accessibility to publicbuildings is the Disability Act (2005).

Part 3 imposes a duty on public bodies to ensure, over time,that public buildings and services are accessible to people with


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and the evacuation of employees and any other individualpresent in the workplace.

Section 12 clarifies that consideration must also be givento the safety of persons other than employees within theworkplace.

To comply with Section 19 of the Act, employers are requiredto carry out risk assessments for all Health and Safety issues,including emergency egress, and to record these in the SafetyStatement.

The Safety Statement brings this all together in the contextof employees in Section 20 of the Act. However, a good-qualitySafety Statement also has the capacity to form the basis of theEvacuation Strategy for all users of the building.

Fire ServicesAct (1981)

Fire safety within existing buildings is covered within theprovisions of the Fire Services Act (1981), which empowerslocal fire authorities to carry out inspections to ensure theadequacy of fire-related matters in relation to existing premises.

Building ControlAct (1990)

The Building Control Act (1990) provides the framework forthe modern Irish building control system.This legislationregulates standards in building construction and designthrough the introduction of building regulations.The principalaim of building regulations is to provide for the health, safetyand welfare of people in and around buildings.

Part B (2002) of the Building Regulations, entitled ‘Fire Safety’,requires the developer of every new building, with the

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4.3 Evacuation StrategiesAt the design stage of the building, a decision will have beentaken about the type of emergency evacuation procedure tobe used.This decision will have influenced the layout of thebuilding and the fire safety measures incorporated into it.

There are three main strategies commonly used:• Total evacuation – Everyone in the building begins to

evacuate at the same time and the physical arrangementsof the building are designed to cope with the maximumnumbers.This means that people with disabilities areinteracting with others with the potential for movementtimes to be increased;

• Phased evacuation – This form of evacuation system has apre-alarm stage in areas remote from those immediatelythreatened by fire. During this stage, vulnerable peoplecan begin to escape, with a general alarm being raised ashort time later. This can be helpful to enable staff toassist people with disabilities to places of safety as quicklyas possible; and

• Zoned evacuation – With this system, the building isdesigned to be evacuated progressively as the extentof the emergency develops and is understood.Theconstruction of the building, including its fire resistance,is arranged so that immediate evacuation is not requiredfrom all areas and people are moved progressively awayfrom the area of danger. This is of particular use inbuildings where medical care is provided, as people can beevacuated horizontally behind fire-resisting constructionand moved vertically only if necessary. With thisevacuation philosophy, it is essential to ensure thatadjoining zones have sufficient capacity to accommodatethe additional occupants from another zone.


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disabilities.The standard for access is Part M of the BuildingRegulations and public buildings must be compliant by 2015.Public buildings must comply with amendments to Part M nolater than ten years after the commencement of suchamendments.

4.2 Responsibility for Means of EscapeThe responsibility for evacuating people with disabilities lieswith those who manage the building on a day-to-day basis, notwith the fire service. In the vast majority of cases, this is theoccupant. It is a common misconception that once a personwith a disability has reached a safe refuge area within the stairenclosures of a building, nothing further needs to be done bythe management, and the fire service will ensure they arebrought down the stairs to ground level when they arrive.

It is essential that evacuation of people with disabilities takesplace as soon as possible and it is the responsibility of thosein charge of the building to ensure this happens.

The ultimate responsibility will rest with the most seniorperson in the organisation but specific personnel will havedesignated responsibility. It is extremely important that thereis no doubt about who holds operational responsibility forsafe egress in each organisation. It is also extremely importantthat the responsible people are given full support from thehighest level and are provided with the necessary authorityand resources to ensure that they can deliver.

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Egress Policy

IndependentAuditing

Information link

Control Link

Planning for Egress




Initial Review

5 Planning for Egress

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When considering the planning of emergency egress, it isimportant that an understanding of the built-in safety measuresis obtained, particularly if the building has been subject to afire engineering solution for means of escape at design stage.

Changing the evacuation strategies of an existing building mayrequire some degree of work to the building structure andfire safety systems.

4.4 Typical Details ContainedWithinan Egress Policy

• Summary of legislative obligations;• Details of designated persons;• Policy statement of intent (list of aims and objectives);• Basic statement on the overall evacuation strategy; and• Dated and signed by senior management.

It is recommended that the egress policy is contained withinthe organisation’s Safety Statement.

4.5 Egress Policy – Summary• Consider the applicable legislation;• Review policies that have an impact on egress;• Clarify who is responsible for safe egress;• Decide on an evacuation strategy – total, phased or

zoned; and• Gain an understanding of the existing inbuilt fire safety

measures.

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• Aim 2 – to impart the ability to identify egress featuresthat are normally designed into buildings, and thecapability of using this information in preparing riskassessments and emergency evacuation plans;



5.1 Understanding the ProblemIn an emergency such as a fire, all building users are put inan unfamiliar situation that can be, in extreme cases, veryfrightening and potentially life-threatening. In dealing with theproblem of ensuring that people are able to evacuate in safety,building design codes take into account a whole range ofissues such as:• type of use;• number of occupants;• travel distances; and• height above ground level.

The design codes attempt to tailor guidance and requirementsto match a diverse range of building types and occupancies, butit is difficult to cover all eventualities.While design codes dealadequately with many buildings, there are others that do not fitneatly into the assumptions made about layout, use oroccupancy. With the provision of access for people withdisabilities to more and more buildings, there is a growing needto give consideration to the resulting egress requirements.

Much is now known about how people react in emergencies.For example, it is accepted that people prefer to use familiarroutes and exits in an emergency and will often ignore nearby


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IntroductionOrganisations need to plan how they will react toemergencies so that a safe outcome can be assured.Planning allows an agreed approach to be developed,recorded, communicated and practised. It allows problemsto be discussed and worked through so that confusion anduncertainty are reduced in a real emergency situation.Thissection provides a great deal of information to enableemergency egress plans to be drawn up for people withdisabilities. It looks at how people react in an emergencysituation, and indicates how the presence of a disability canaffect that reaction.The benefits of a risk assessment approachare discussed, as is the importance of consultation with allstakeholders.

This section outlines the basic principles used when themeans of escape from buildings is designed. It providesinformation on the various aspects of an emergency escapesystem from warning and wayfinding, through movinghorizontally to a place of refuge, to vertical movement toa place of safety.

Information is also given on particular aspects of safe egressfor people with disabilities in a range of building types.

This section of the document will assist with meeting thefollowing aims:• Aim 1 – to provide the reader with an appreciation of


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Figure 2: Example of a timeline comparison ofemergency development and evacuation(based on Figure 4 from BS7974: 2001)

Recognition time is the period from when the alarm is raiseduntil people understand that there is a potentially threateningsituation. During this time, people are gathering informationfrom alarm signals, clues such as smoke, flame or unusualsounds, or from the reactions of others. Response time isspent by people deciding on the appropriate action to take todeal with the emergency and can often include movement that

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emergency exits to go out by the way they entered.The levelof familiarity that a person has with the building layout canhave an impact on their ability to escape.

Other factors that can influence the time it takes for escapein an emergency include:• level of alertness – awake, sleeping, cognitive state;

• mobility – level of disability;

• social affiliation – alone or with a group;

• intellectual capacity – ability to understand instructionsor procedures;

• mental health status – tolerance to noise or panicsituations;

• role and responsibility – staff or public;

• position – standing, seated, lying down;

• commitment – to the activity they are engaged in; and

• presence of focal points within the building – stages orscreens.

Figure 2 below represents a timeline for an emergency, which isoften used to explain the stages of human behaviour alongsidethe development of a fire. In an emergency evacuation, the aimis to have the time taken for everyone to safely leave thebuilding less than the time for environmental or structuralconditions in the building to become untenable.The timetaken to evacuate once the alarm is raised is made up ofpre-movement and movement time.The pre-movement timeis broken down into recognition time and response time.Themovement time is the time taken to travel to safety.

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Available Safe Escape Time (ASET)

Time to Escape

Time toAlarm

Time toDetection

Pre-movement Time

Movement Time

Recognition Time

Response Time

Evacuation Time

1 2 3 4 5

Incident

Detection

Alarm

EvacuationC

omplete

TenabilityLim

it


significant impact on the time it takes for someone to escapein an emergency. The time needed to escape on the ASETtimeline in Figure 2 above will potentially be extended, and anunderstanding of how this could arise will help planners toanticipate the likely effects.

Effect on recognition time

Although a mobility impairment will have the greatest impacton movement time, the inability for people to quicklyinvestigate unexplained clues could lead to longer recognitiontimes. For some disabilities, it may be impossible for anyunaided movement to take place whatsoever.

The inability to hear a fire alarm signal or other warning,either completely or clearly, is very likely to lengthenrecognition time. Similarly, if vision is impaired, informationabout a developing threat or other people’s reactions will bemissed, leading to delayed recognition of the situation.

A cognitive impairment may leave a person unable to interpreta warning correctly or quickly enough leading to no, or slow,recognition. A further factor to consider is the impact ofwarning signals, such as sounders and strobes, on people wheresuch stimuli could cause a reaction or event, such as a seizure.

Effect on response time

Response time is characterised by people taking actions thatcannot be considered as escaping. In addition to the examplesgiven, such actions might include raising the alarm, fire fighting,checking on others or getting dressed prior to escaping. Amobility impairment could easily reduce the speed of theseresponses for individuals or make it impossible for them torespond at all.


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is not actually escaping, such as locating family members andgathering up belongings.

When emergency egress is viewed in these terms, it becomesevident that the population of a building at any one time willhave a range of characteristics and abilities that will affectindividual evacuation times.To design a building that providessafe egress for all means basing the evacuation time on theperson who will take the longest time to escape. Specialconsideration has to be given, therefore, to the needs ofpeople with disabilities when designing and planning foremergency evacuation.

5.2 Egress Issues for Peoplewith Disabilities

People have disabilities of various types and of varying levelsof severity.These disabilities can take the form of:• mobility impairment, where the range or speed of

movement is affected to varying degrees;

• sensory impairment, where the ability to gatherinformation through the senses such as sight or hearingis affected;

• cognitive or mental health impairment, where thecapacity to process information and react appropriatelyis affected; and

• hidden disabilities, where the disability is not physicallyapparent, but the stress of an emergency situation maytrigger the condition. Hidden disabilities could includesuch conditions as asthma or heart problems.

People can sometimes have a combination of these typesof disabilities.The presence of a disability can have a very

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transfer into their chairs prior to moving. Some might need towait for a carer to assist and then wheel them to safety. Therewill, in many cases, be doors fitted with automatic closers tonegotiate, adding to the time taken to escape. Other situationswill exist where people are confined to bed, such as inhospital wards or residential homes. Movement in these casesmight require medical equipment to be transported at thesame time.

Aside from the speed of movement of those with mobilityimpairments, it is possible that queuing will occur if, forexample, a wheelchair user is moving ahead of a group ofother people.The flow rate for the evacuation will reduceaccordingly if there is insufficient room for people to pass.This could be a particular problem in narrow corridors orat obstructions such as doorways.Walking aids, such asrollators or crutches, take up additional space that is notgenerally considered in the models used to predict theflow rate of people escaping from buildings.

Vertical movement presents particular problems for peoplewith disabilities. It is common practice for passenger lifts notto be used in emergency evacuations and, in most cases,evacuation plans exclude them.This is because of the dangerof a power failure trapping people in the lift, of the lift beinginadvertently called to the floor where the incident is locatedor because the lift will not always be enclosed in fire-resistingconstruction. Further details of the design and use ofevacuation lifts are given in Section 5.10.

In many buildings, lifts are the only method for people withmobility impairments to move between floors. Accesslegislation is resulting in the installation of passenger orplatform lifts in more and more buildings.The problem


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Given that response time is spent deciding on the appropriateaction to take, the fact that sensory impairment might reducethe means available to gather information makes it very likelythat more time will be taken before escaping, or that theaction taken will not be the best option. Response time islikely to be extended as a result.

A cognitive impairment may leave a person unable tointerpret the information available about the evolvingemergency situation and mean that the action taken isinappropriate. Response times will be longer and noappropriate response may result.

Effect on movement time

For simplicity, most design codes split movement, or traveldistance as it is commonly described, into horizontal andvertical components. Horizontal movement describesmovement on the same level, such as within the floor onwhich the person is located at the time of the evacuation.Vertical movement refers to situations where it is necessaryto change levels, between floors for example, when escaping.

A mobility impairment can have a great impact on movementtime. Fire safety design codes tend to be based around theassumption that all people in an emergency evacuation areable to move independently and all move at the same speed –that of a fit and fully mobile adult. It stands to reason, however,that not all people will fit into this assumption. It is only to beexpected that some people will not be able to moveindependently and that some will have a range of movementabilities that will make their movements much slower than forothers. In some instances, depending on what activity they areengaged in at the time, users of wheelchairs may have to

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For many people with vision impairments, the move intounfamiliar terrain, such as an escape route never used before,will cause great stress and result in a slowing down ofmovement. It will also affect a person’s ability to observe andfollow the escape behaviour of others.

A hearing impairment could also add to the time taken toescape, not least if it makes it difficult to understand and reactto the instructions of others such as fire wardens. In somecircumstances, for example where an individual with a visionimpairment is very familiar with their surroundings, thedifficulties of low light levels and smoke obscuration canbecome less of an encumbrance than for a person withouta vision impairment.

Efficient use of time in the movement phase of an emergencyevacuation requires information to be processed quickly. Acognitive impairment may slow or prevent the assimilation andinterpretation of this information, with a resulting increase inthe overall time taken to escape.

From the above, it is clear that special consideration of egressrequirements is needed to take account of the needs ofpeople with disabilities. In many cases, disabilities are “hidden”and it will not be obvious at the time that there is a need forextra steps to be taken.

5.3 Assessing the RiskThe Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005) placesobligations on employers to ensure that employees are safewhen at work.The Act makes specific reference to emergencyegress.The legislation requires hazards and the resulting risksto be identified within workplaces, to ensure that appropriate


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created for evacuation is obvious and the solution usuallyadopted in fire safety design is to provide safe areas,sometimes known as refuges, where people can wait forassistance. More detail on the design of refuges is included inSection 5.9 Refuges.Whilst waiting, movement stops and theoverall time taken to escape mounts. Often, the only way forwheelchair users to move between floors is to abandon theirchairs and be carried or otherwise assisted along the stair.Again, this takes time and adds to the overall escape time.Another factor with mobility impairment is the knock-oneffect that can occur when slowly-moving evacuees causethe formation of bottlenecks and queues of other occupants.It follows, therefore, that organisations must anticipate theneeds of people with disabilities in their emergencyevacuation policies, planning, training and practicing.

Other difficulties faced by those with mobility impairmentsinclude the opening of fire doors against the resistance ofdoor closers or pressurisation systems, and the negotiationof doors which, whilst held open magnetically in normalcircumstances, are released to close in the event of a fire toprevent the passage of smoke and flame. Another factor forsome is the difficulty of moving safely in a closely-packedcrowd when strength and stability levels are reduced. Otherswill find it difficult to travel even relatively short distanceswithout resting. Wayfinding is an important issue for peopleescaping in an emergency situation.Time spent locating exitsand finding the appropriate route to take can add significantlyto the overall escape time. A vision impairment wouldnormally be expected to make it more difficult for someoneto identify exits and follow exit signage and, coupled with thedifficulty of identifying the location of a fire, the recognitionand travel times can often be extended.

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• to ensure that resources are assigned to safety andhealth; and

• to gain the commitment of all persons in the workplace.

These aims are exactly those that an organisation will wish toachieve in their system for managing emergency evacuation. Itmakes sense to use the Safety Statement as a means tointegrate emergency egress planning for all staff, visitors andother users of the building.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) guidance document,referred to in Section 2.2 and used to define the structure ofthis document, outlines an appropriate system for managingemergency evacuation.

The HSA has a considerable amount of further information,on assessing and managing risk, available on its website.Readers of this guide are advised to visit www.hsa.ie foradditional information.

Risk assessments need to be continually reviewed and mustreflect changes in the physical environment as well as changesin people, procedures and legislation.

The review and auditing process, to ensure that all measuresrequired to protect people with disabilities and others areadequate, is an essential part of managing emergency egress.

A risk assessment checklist is included in Appendix 3.Thischecklist can be used to develop a safety strategy that isappropriate to the needs of people with disabilities.It is by no means exhaustive in its content and those assessingthe risks to people with disabilities in the event of an


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control measures are taken to mitigate the effects on thosewho would be exposed to the risk.

This risk assessment approach is very useful for thoseresponsible for managing emergency egress and is applicablewhen planning for all users of buildings, not just employees.

An assessment of the risks to people with disabilities who areknown to use the building, or who could be anticipated to bethere, will determine the physical measures and managementstrategies that are required to ensure adequate means ofegress are maintained.

An important aspect of the Health, Safety and Welfare atWork legislation is the Safety Statement, which employers arerequired to prepare.

The Safety Statement specifies the manner in which the safety,health or welfare of employees at the place of work will besecured. It is intended:• to involve management up to the highest level in a clear

programme of action;

• to stimulate action to ensure compliance with thestatutory safety and health provisions;

• to identify hazards and to prioritise remedial actionbased on the risk of injury to exposed persons;

• to ensure safety measures are kept in place andmonitored on a regular basis;

• to identify and assign clear responsibilities in relationto safety and health matters;

• to ensure systematic follow-up of problems, once identified;

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Consultation will also be required with those members ofstaff who will be expected to implement the emergencyprocedures.This may involve negotiation with staffrepresentatives.

The NDA publication ‘Ask Me – Guidelines for EffectiveConsultation with People with Disabilities’ provides adviceand guidance on how to consult with people with disabilities.

At a technical level, when drawing up emergency evacuationplans and procedures, it might be helpful to consult with theFire and Rescue Service who would respond to a call out tothe building concerned. It is important to ensure that theevacuation procedures put in place by the buildingmanagement will not conflict with the fire-fighting proceduresthat the fire service will adopt when they arrive on site.

If the building being dealt with is in multiple occupation or isrented from a landlord, it is likely that the egress plan for oneoccupant will interact with those of others. It is importantthat all parties are consulted at an early stage.

5.5 General Means of Escape DesignPrinciples

When buildings are constructed, legislation ensures thatprovision for means of escape in the event of fire isincorporated into the structure. Although the focus is on firesafety, the guidance used ensures people will be able to escapequickly in any emergency. The legislation is inclusive of peoplewith disabilities.

Part B of the Building Regulations sets out the functionalrequirements for fire safety under the broad headings of:


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emergency evacuation should use it as a guide, adding anyother issues that emerge.

For ease of use, the checklist has been divided into separatesections headed:• Policy;• Procedures;• People; and• Premises or plant.

5.4 ConsultationAn important part of preparing emergency plans andprocedures that meet the needs of people with disabilitiesis to consult with those who are directly affected.

In many circumstances, it will be easy to identify those whoneed to be consulted, such as when considering the needs ofemployees with disabilities. In such cases, direct consultationwill ensure that management understands clearly what needsto be put in place to ensure the employees safety, and theemployee will be aware of the arrangements and have anincreased level of confidence about them.This is an integralpart of preparing a Personal Emergency Egress Plan.

Other groups, such as visitors and the general public who usebuildings, are more difficult to consult directly.The needs ofthese people will have to be anticipated when planning foremergencies and it is important that the suitability of thearrangements put in place is checked.This can be achieved byconsulting with disability organisations who representparticular groups of people with disabilities. In some cases, itmight be necessary to consult with medical or occupationalhealth professionals, particularly when planning for peoplewith severe disabilities.

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The guidance in BS5588 also covers, to some degree, thefeatures needed in warning and alarm systems to help thosewith hearing impairments and makes recommendations forassisting people with vision impairments.

A number of sources of further information on emergencyegress for people with disabilities, which reflect internationalresearch and good practice, have been included in theappendices to this guide. One document that will be ofinterest to those with responsibility for designing for egress isDD9999: 2005 ‘Code of Practice for Fire Safety in the Design,Construction and Use of Buildings’.This document isproduced by BSI as a “Draft for Development” and is intendedto replace the BS5588 series in due course. It reflects morerecent thinking on egress for those with disabilities and couldbe used as an alternative to BS5588-8, with agreement of therelevant enforcing authorities.

The following sections look at each stage of the emergencyescape process in some detail under the following headings:• General Warning and Alarm;• Wayfinding;• Horizontal Movement;• Refuges; and• Vertical Movement.

5.6 GeneralWarning andAlarmIn the event of an emergency, some form of warning systemis required to alert people throughout the building.The alarmwill either be raised by an individual who becomes aware ofthe incident or by automatic detection in the case of a fire.

Conventional alarm systems may not always meet the needsof people with disabilities, both from the perspective of


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• B1 Means of escape in case of fire;• B2 Internal fire spread (linings);• B3 Internal fire spread (structure);• B4 External fire spread; and• B5 Access and facilities for the fire service.

Technical Guidance Document (TGD) B is applicable to mostbuilding types and is provided as a guide to the minimumstandards that will meet the requirements of the BuildingRegulations.

TGD B does not give much direct guidance on egress forpeople with disabilities but instead refers to BS5588-8: 1999‘Code of Practice for Means of Escape for Disabled People’.The basic design principles contained in BS5588-8 are forpeople with disabilities to be able to move horizontally to aplace of refuge where they can wait for assistance with thevertical part of their escape to a place of safety. It should benoted that this code of practice makes no recommendationsrequiring the provision of refuge spaces in “small” premisesconsisting only of a basement, ground and first floor with nofloor area over 280m². Good practice, however, would be toalways provide a sufficiently-sized refuge space, or analternative solution, when lift access is provided, irrespectiveof whether the lift access is a statutory requirement or not.

Figure 3: Principles of evacuation from BS5588-8

Fire Refuge Vertical escape

Place ofsafety

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Vibrating alerts

Vibrating alert systems are available which take the formof a local area paging system linked to the fire alarm systemthrough an interface. Activation of the fire alarm system willtrigger any paging devices within range of the transmitter.

Depending on the system installed, as well as vibrating, a visualmessage can be displayed on the device screen and an intenseaudible tone can be emitted.

Figure 4:DeafAlerter logo (courtesy of DeafAlerter plc)

The system is therefore capable of alerting those withmoderate to severe hearing impairments and can offer theadded advantage of making users identifiable to staff membersthrough the audible tone.The system will need to havebattery backup and fault monitoring to the same standard asthe fire alarm system. In large buildings, multiple transmittersmay be required to ensure full coverage. Some systems allowthe devices to be used for general paging, through multiplechannels controlled by software installed on a linked PC.

The use of a vibrating pager alert system requires goodmanagement systems to identify those who need to carry


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triggering the alarm to warn others and in terms of recognisinga warning given.

In situations where the alarm system is manual, i.e. relyingon the actions of a person to activate it, it is necessary toconsider the number, height and location of break glass callpoints to ensure that someone with a disability can quicklyand easily locate and reach them.This will necessitate anassessment of the likelihood that someone with a disabilitywill be expected to activate the fire alarm. Consequently, itmay require the inclusion of additional features to the firealarm system such as additional call points, lowering of callpoints or the use of other means of activation such as ceilingcord switches.The use of automatic fire detection will providea backup to manually raising the alarm. Such systems areincreasingly common in public buildings.

Hearing and recognising the alarm is a problem for thosewith hearing impairments. In general, given the sound levelsgenerated by a fire alarm, people with impaired hearing willusually either be able to make out the alarm signal or be alertedby the actions of other occupants.This will not be the case foreveryone and consideration must be given to other ways ofraising the alarm including visual alarms, paging system, vibratingdevices and tailoring of the sound frequencies delivered.

When selecting the appropriate system, consideration shouldto be given to other impacts that the alarm could have forpeople with disabilities.These include risks to persons withepilepsy through use of flashing beacons, causing inner eardiscomfort or making normal communication impossible due tohigh levels of background alarm. Specialist advice should besought on the most suitable location and type of sounder.

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Strobes

It is not likely that simply locating a strobe beside eachsounder will give full coverage. Consideration is required ofparticular room layouts, the directions in which people arelikely to face and the presence of fixtures, fittings and furniturewithin rooms.

Figure 5: Example of strobe equipment

A further factor to consider if strobe beacons are to be usedis the possibility of a negative reaction to the pulsating light inthose with disabilities such as epilepsy. Care needs to be takento ensure that the strobe frequency chosen is satisfactory.Frequencies of 5 hertz and above are to be avoided as therange of frequencies from 5 to 30 hertz is generallyconsidered most likely to trigger a reaction. It isrecommended by epilepsy organisations that strobes operateat a frequency of 2 to 4 hertz and be synchronised so that thefrequency is not increased in spaces with multiple units.Further guidance on visual alarms can be found in BS5839-1:2002 – Section 2, Clauses 17 and 18.

5.7 WayfindingWayfinding in an emergency evacuation is a major problemfor everyone who is unfamiliar with the building layout. As


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pagers, ensure they are trained in their use, and to manage thesigning in and out of the units. Maintenance of the units is alsoimportant, particularly with regard to ensuring they are fullycharged.The portable nature of the pagers means that this canbe a relatively cost-effective way to cover all areas of a building.

Such systems tend to be easier to manage in buildings such asoffices where those who could benefit are known. Buildingsopen to the public are more difficult to manage but the systemcan still work effectively. Problems to be overcome are thepotential for pagers to go missing and the uncertainty abouthow many are required to be available to cope with demand.

Other forms of vibrating alert available are able to wakethose sleeping through the use of a pad that is placed underthe pillow. Some systems allow the standard paging device tobe docked in a cradle at night time. Activation of the alarmtriggers the vibrating pillow pad and flashes a strobe light.Some systems allow the cradle to be portable meaning thatthose with hearing impairments are not restricted to usingparticular rooms.These systems are particularly suited tohotels or student accommodation.

As new technologies develop, it may be possible to havepaging systems that can provide information on people’slocation within a building.

A drawback to the use of paging systems is the fact that theiruse requires the people with hearing impairments to identifythemselves and go through a registration process notapplicable to those without a hearing impairment.

Vibrating paging systems for use as fire alarm warning systemsshould comply with the relevant parts of BS5839-1: 2002 and EN54 .

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Another wayfinding aid is the use of handrails on horizontalcirculation routes, commonly provided in hospitals and otherhealthcare buildings, which, apart from providing supportto users, also provide assurance on escape routes withinbuildings.

Irrespective of their location, it is important that handrails arecolour contrasted against their background to ensure thatthey are easier for people with vision impairments to see,even in normal lighting conditions. It is possible to use thehandrails in a building to convey information to the peoplewho are vision impaired through the use of raised detail.Thisinformation can signify the floor level, the direction for escapeor the location of refuge areas.

The level of lighting to escape routes is very important forthose with vision impairments, and should be of the higheststandard possible. Lighting will, at different times, be providedthrough daylight, normal artificial lighting and emergencyescape lighting.

The most critical will be that provided by emergency escapelighting in the event of a power failure to the building.Guidance is available in Building Regulations on the areas andtypes of building requiring emergency lighting. However,consideration should always be given to the provision ofemergency lighting to accommodate people with visionimpairments.The required luminance level at the floor ofdefined escape routes is 0.5 lux and 1.0 lux in open areas ofaccommodation or undefined escape routes, as they areknown. Emergency lighting systems are required to achievethis level of luminance within five seconds of a power failureor the failure of a lighting circuit, which allows for the timetaken by fluorescent tubes to warm up. Generally, lighting


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most escape routes tend to be located in areas not in normaleveryday use, the presence of suitable escape signage isessential. By their very nature, many escape routes will appearoff limits during normal use of the building and tend to berejected by users in the event of fire.The obvious solution is tomake escape routes a normal means of access where possible.

Wayfinding is a research subject for a number of institutionsinternationally, with one of note being the Research Groupfor Inclusive Environments at the University of Reading. Areasbeing researched include the legibility and conspicuousness ofsignage through to the behaviour of people in smoke-filledenvironments. For further information, please refer towww.extra.rdg.ac.uk/ie

The problems are compounded for people with visionimpairments such as macular degeneration or cataracts.One aid for those with vision impairments is the use ofphoto-luminescent wayfinding guidance systems.Thesesystems typically make use of continuous strips ofphoto-luminescent material located in the floor covering orat low levels on walls, to indicate the direction to the nearestemergency exit.The strips are brightly coloured and highlyconspicuous in normally lit situations and remain visible inlow light conditions by emitting light themselves.Thephoto-luminescent material used absorbs energy from thenatural or artificial lighting, stores it and re-emits it as light.The systems are of benefit to all building users and are of realbenefit for evacuation along routes that are partially smokelogged.The idea of low level directional indication of exits hasa long history in the aviation industry but is not commonlyused in buildings as yet.

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consumption and extended lamp life, which will have ongoingmaintenance benefits.

In addition to the luminance levels of signage, the provisionof tactile information on signs can be of considerable benefitto people with a vision impairment.This is particularly thecase where a person with a vision impairment might have towait within a refuge space and need information about thearrangements for egress from the location.

Improving the luminance of escape signage is easy to do,technically, and should be a measure implemented throughplanned maintenance or as part of a building upgrade orrefurbishment. Maximum and minimum luminance levels ofsignage are given as 300 cd/m² and 15 cd/m² respectively inIS413: 1989 but, as with emergency lighting systems, considerationhas to be given to the reduction in lighting levels over time.

Directional sound

The use of directional sound is a developing technology withmany applications, one of which is in assisting with wayfindingin emergency evacuations. Directional sound is essentiallybroadband, multi-frequency sound that is easily and quicklylocated by the human ear. Standard alarm systems give noinformation on the location of exits, but directional soundsystems use sounders located at strategic points which emitrapid bursts of broadband sound.The sounds can be tailoredto identify particular building features such as stairs oremergency exits and indicate the vertical direction to betaken on stairways.

Tests have shown that the time taken to locate exits isdramatically reduced when directional sound is used.


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levels at head height will be at a higher value than at floorlevel as the light source is usually located at ceiling level.Further information on emergency lighting systems is availablein IS3217: 1989 and BS EN1838: 1999.

It should be noted that, over time, the efficiency of lightfittings degrades and the lighting level of a newly installedsystem should be designed well in excess of the minimumrecommended lux levels in IS3217.

Signage

The legibility and conspicuousness of escape signage is veryimportant.This can be improved by relatively simple measuressuch as using illuminated exit signs and removing glare andclutter due to other signage for other purposes such asadvertising.The requirement for the graphic design of signageis covered by European Council Directive 92/58/EEC.Thedesign of escape signage provides a degree of uniformity forIrish citizens as well as visitors from other countries.Guidance on the graphic design, size and location of escapesignage can be found in BS5499 Parts 1, 4 and 5.The NationalCouncil for the Blind of Ireland have produced informationon signage strategy and should be referred to for furtherguidance (see www.ncbi.ie). Building owners do have a choiceon the type of illumination they provide for escape signage.Signs can be internally or externally illuminated, or in somecases photo-luminescent.

Research is available from the University of Reading whichdemonstrates that the latest generation of light emittingdiode (LED) illuminated signs can improve the legibility andconspicuousness for those with vision impairments. LED signstend to be more expensive to install but offer lower power

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To facilitate unrestricted egress:• changes in level on circulation routes should be designed

out where possible;

• ramps, if required, should comply with recommendationsof Technical Guidance Document M or BS8300 withgraspable handrails to each side having a “diameter” of 38to 50mm.Whilst it is not essential that the handrails arecircular in profile, designers should note that this shape isgenerally most suitable for people with manual dexterityproblems to grip; and

• final exits should have level thresholds, even thoseopening onto external flights.

5.9 RefugesAs many people with disabilities are unable to use stairsunassisted, it is necessary to ensure that they can stay in a safelocation until help arrives. A common way to facilitate thisneed is through the provision of safe areas within protectedstair enclosures.This is not always possible and may notalways be desirable, particularly when dealing with existingbuildings where space in the stairs is limited or where largernumbers of people who require assistance to escape areanticipated.

The use of refuge areas will often require a person with adisability to wait whilst others escape past them. It should berealised that people can become fearful and concerned aboutbeing left behind. It is essential that the use of refuges isdiscussed fully in advance with those who might need to usethem.This will need to be discussed with employees as part ofthe drawing up of Personal Emergency Egress Plans.Wherepeople are unfamiliar with the use of refuge spaces or the


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The technology is of particular benefit to those withvision impairments as it adds an extra layer of informationreceived aurally.

The main drawback with the system is one of familiarity. Firealarm signals are universally recognised and understood butthe use of directional sound systems is not yet widespreadenough to be sure that building users would know how toreact without individual training. For this reason, its use wouldperhaps best suit buildings where people can be made familiarwith the method of operation.

5.8 Horizontal MovementIdeally, horizontal circulation within buildings will be level withsuitable ramps and complementary steps where levelcirculation is not possible due to building and site constraints.

With new buildings, level approach to and within the internalspaces is delivered through application of Part M of theBuilding Regulations. Part M is a minimum standard and morecomprehensive guidance is available from other internationalpublications such as BS8300.

In the event of an emergency evacuation, people with disabilitiesmay not be able to avail of the circulation routes designed foraccess and, consequently, escape routes need to be designedso that they are suitable for all of the building’s occupants.

Horizontal movement can be difficult for those who arewheelchair users, people with arthritis, expectant mothers andparents using prams.

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As a minimum requirement, refuges should have the followingfeatures:• where a single refuge space is considered sufficient, a

1400 x 900mm space clear of the escape route;

• be enclosed in not less than 30 minutes fire-resistingstructure, with a 30 minute fire-resisting, self-closing firedoor fitted with cold-smoke seals;

• be provided with 30 minutes fire-resisting construction(integrity and insulation) from a fire inside the building,where the refuge is external;

• located either within, or be a space with direct access to,each protected stairway required for means of escape;

• have a two-way communication system, to suit a range ofdisabilities, linked between the refuge and themanagement control point, compliant with therecommendations of BS5839-9: 2003;

• contain no glazing between the general accommodationand the refuge space;

• clear signage indicating that the space is designated forrefuge and identification of the floor level; and

• have a notice providing guidance on procedures in eventof fire.

Figure 7:Example of two-way communication system


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spaces’ locations in a building, the intervention of staff will benecessary to provide direction and reassurance. It may also benecessary for staff to remain with those waiting in refugeareas to assist with the use of communication systems orprovide general support.

Refuges should be provided so that people with mobilitydifficulties are not placed at a greater risk from fire thanother occupants.This will usually require an assessment of thenumbers of people likely to require the use of a refuge spaceand assistance with vertical evacuation of the building. Inherentin this assessment is the availability and suitability of appointedstaff who can provide assistance, their general fitness, health andtheir ability to re-enter the building as necessary in order torender further assistance, which is unrealistic even in low-risebuildings of three or more storeys above ground level.

Figure 6: Example of refuge location

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two escape stairs and only two refuges.This has the potentialto leave someone in a vulnerable and potentially dangeroussituation. Limiting the number of wheelchair users to two onthe upper storey would not be acceptable in access terms andmight not achieve a satisfactory solution anyway as the route toone of the escape stairs could be impassable due to smoke orother untenable conditions. In such a situation, a solution wouldbe to go beyond the minimum standards and provide eitherlarger or additional refuge spaces throughout a property.

The nature of the disability, the number of people withdisabilities and their position within the building are criticalissues requiring careful consideration both at design stage andwhen the premises are occupied.This is particularly the casewhen people with disabilities are able to access and occupyabove-ground spaces within buildings, most usually the casewhen buildings are accessible to the public.

In “open” premises, where there is little or no control overaccess, the designer and management should make provisionfor the maximum, rather than the minimum, number of peoplewith disabilities that prohibit the unaided use of stairs withinbuildings and provide sufficient refuge space to meetanticipated needs.

In other circumstances, where there is a high degree ofcontrol at the access point to a building, such as in a school oroffice accommodation, it may be possible to restrict thenumber of people who require assistance on an upper storey,where there is inadequate provision of suitable refuge space.

Whichever option for refuge is used, the importance of goodmanagement procedures and staff training must be emphasised.


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An alternative to the location of refuge spaces within stairenclosures, which may be useful in existing buildings or forlarger numbers, is the use of fire-resisting accommodationadjacent to protected stairs as refuge space.To be suitable,such accommodation should have the same period of fireresistance as the protected stairs and have direct access tothe stairs or to a lift suitable for evacuation.

A further option could be to subdivide a room or storey intoseparate fire-resisting compartments, each of which has atleast one independent escape route and adequate provisionto allow movement between compartments. Often this willnecessitate the provision of more than one intercommunicatingdoor between the compartments to ensure that a route isalways available. This approach is often used in healthcarepremises where the evacuation of patients using stairs is evenmore difficult.Where one of these alternative approaches isused, careful consideration has to be given to the location oftwo-way communicating equipment and evacuation aids.Current standards only require a minimum number of refugespaces, but it is clear that this provision could be inadequatefor many buildings where the potential for those requiringassistance to escape exceeds the number of refuges provided.

This will often be the case in publicly accessible buildingswhere it might be appropriate to introduce cellular areas offire-resisting construction so that it becomes possible forpeople with disabilities to progressively move away from therisk of fire whilst allowing groups such as families to remaintogether.This would not generally be feasible within theconfines of a 1400 x 900mm refuge space.

For example, consider the potential for three wheelchairusers on the upper storey of a building that is provided with

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Figure 8: Example of good practice stair design(NDA – Building for Everyone) Note tactile markingson banisters to indicate the end of the flight.

Escape stairs

Currently, new buildings require a single stair, suitable for useby people with disabilities, affording access to and betweenthe various floor levels within a building. In circumstanceswhere a lift is provided, these requirements are diminished inrespect of the rise, going, stair profile and overall height of risebetween landings. In many circumstances, the stair providedfor access may not be intended for use in the event of fire.The requirements for access and egress differ in their extentand it should not be assumed that stairs provided for accesswill automatically meet egress needs.

It is recommended that all stairs designed for evacuationpurposes should fully meet the recommendations of TechnicalGuidance Document M or BS8300 for access stairs, unless thebuilding is provided with a suitable number of evacuation liftsand the provision of means of escape for those with mobilityimpairments is sufficiently robust that the need for such stairdesign can be discounted.


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5.10 Vertical MovementVertical circulation within the building should be no moredifficult for people with disabilities than for other users. Inaccess terms, the use of passenger lifts removes barriers tovertical movement. In a fire condition, however, where suitablydesigned evacuation lifts are not provided, this aspiration isunrealistic and, consequently, refuges need to be provided tofacilitate the escape of people requiring assistance from theupper or lower storeys of a building. On ground-flooraccommodation, where the egress from the building is notlevel with the external surface, it may also be necessary toprovide refuge spaces external to the building enclosure.Thiswill also be the case on upper storeys where external fireescapes are utilised.

The best means of ensuring that vertical movement is possiblefor the evacuation of people with disabilities is to provide liftssuitable for evacuation use. Detail of the requirements forevacuation lifts are given later in this section.The benefits ofallowing a person with disabilities to exit a buildingindependently are to simplify egress procedures for them andto offer such users equal independence with others.

As buildings are adapted to make them accessible, and liftsare installed to provide access to storeys above or below theentrance level, it makes good sense to upgrade the standardto that of an evacuation lift.This approach means that accessand egress issues are dealt with simultaneously, and thereliance on assisted evacuation is reduced.

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trapped on whichever floor they have travelled to, as themajority of lifts are not suitable for use in an emergencyevacuation.

Evacuation lifts are designed to continue operating in theevent of a fire and have special design features to ensure safety.

In some buildings, it might be possible to incorporateevacuation lifts, thereby affording unassisted escape in theevent of fire.This could be accommodated at either originaldesign stage or during refurbishment. It should be noted thatit is the Office of Public Works’ policy to incorporateevacuation lifts in all future new buildings. In some newbuildings and also in older buildings, the provision of anevacuation lift might be impracticable and suitable evacuationstrategies utilising trained members of staff providing physicalassistance are required. Appropriate manual handling riskassessments should, obviously, be implemented if this is partof an egress policy.

It should be noted that, even if an evacuation lift is provided,refuge spaces are still required. However, these should opendirectly onto or be contained within the lift lobby space.

Evacuation lifts, facilitating the management of evacuation ofoccupants who have a mobility impairment from a building,are clearly a more desirable option where available.

The comparative additional cost of the features required foran evacuation or fire-fighting lift will be relatively minor in abuilding of more than two to three storeys, particularly wherealternative power supplies are being provided for othersystems. Compared to the alternative of assisted escapedownstairs, evacuation lifts provide the most robust and


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Generally stairs on escape routes should be designed witha closed riser of a suitable profile with a maximum rise of170mm and a minimum going of 250mm. Intermediatelandings should be provided so that the maximum rise of anyflight does not exceed 1,800mm.The handrails should have acontrasting colour to the walls, with the handrail design asdescribed in ‘Building For Everyone’ (2002) Section 6.7.2 andprovided as a continuous handrail to both sides of the stairs.Stair nosings should be non-slip and contrasted to the treadfinish, with the first and last nosings having a contrastedcolour to the remainder. Spiral and helical stairs are notgenerally considered suitable for escape by peoplewith mobility impairments.

Figure 9: Example of good stair design

Evacuation lifts

For those who are non-ambulant, the presence of lifts inbuildings allows them the same level of access as others. Oncethe fire alarm system is sounded, these occupants are effectively

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Rescue Service as part of the emergency evacuation plan.Their use will, in any case, only be possible prior to the arrivalof the Fire and Rescue Service at the building.

In exceptional circumstances, the use of passenger lifts, platformlifts and stair lifts might be considered appropriate. However,this should not be permitted without undertaking a thoroughrisk assessment by a competent person.The competent personwill require a clear understanding of the active and passivesystems incorporated into the building design, together with aclear knowledge of the specific impairment of any individualproposing to use such equipment. It is evident, therefore, thatthe use of lifts not specifically designed for use in fire conditionswill require a building- and person-specific assessment,otherwise their availability and use should be discounted.

Guidance on evacuation lifts is contained in BS5588-8: 1999 –Section 11.

Such an assessment should include, but not be limited to:• the total height served by the lift;

• the separation of the lift from the fire compartment;

• the level of fire resistance afforded to the lift at lowerstorey(s);

• the availability of an auxiliary power supply, including itsduration under full load;

• the frequency of maintenance of the equipment andpower supplies;

• the availability of fail-safe mechanisms and their practicaluse; and

• the availability of assistance.


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effective solution for evacuation of people with disabilities. Inparticular, evacuation lifts allow many people with disabilitiesto evacuate a building independently and with dignity,eliminating any dependence on colleagues for assistance.

Assisted escape down stairs can cause problems due to:• extended escape times caused by contra-flow on stairs

as staff return to assist others;

• the possibility of people being without a wheelchair atground level if the evacuation chair is required for others;

• the cost of supply and training for evacuation chairs andother equipment; and

• the manual handling difficulties and possibility of litigationdue to injury.

It should be noted, however, that careful consideration isrequired before utilising an evacuation lift in a fire condition.It is recommended that evacuation lifts should only open ontoprotected lobbies enclosed with at least 30 minutes fire-resistingconstruction, with 30 minute fire-resisting self-closing fire doors,fitted with cold smoke seals.

The design philosophy for fire-fighting lifts is somewhat morecomplex than for evacuation lifts, with their operation in a firescenario being very much orientated around the specific needsof fire fighters.The use of fire-fighting lifts might be possible inthe early stages of an evacuation in some circumstances;however, their use and operational constraints need to be fullyunderstood by designated users as they are designed not to beavailable for general use when the fire alarm is activated, withthe call points on all landings becoming isolated. If permitted forevacuation of basement or upper storeys, their managementand use should be discussed and agreed with the Fire and

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weather conditions and, consequently, the preferredevacuation strategy is progressive horizontal evacuationbetween fire compartments, previously referred to as zonedevacuation.

It is not intended to reiterate the guidance contained in‘Firecode’, the design guides for hospitals and residential carebuildings produced by the Department of Health in the UK,but merely to give a flavour of the underlying philosophy forthe evacuation of these type of premises.

The principles utilised in the evacuation of healthcarebuildings tend to incorporate all of the aforementionedguidance and good practice, namely:• high levels of automatic detection and alarm;• staff available and trained in evacuation procedures;• staff familiar with various levels of disability;• high levels of compartmentation and fire resistance;• separation of higher fire risk areas from patient areas;• an ability to move horizontally away from an affected fire

zone to an adjoining zone before having to evacuatevertically.

These buildings are required to have high levels of fire-resistingconstruction between floor levels, with every floor beingcapable of acting as a fire compartment. In addition, floor areasare further compartmented to a maximum size dependant onthe height of the floor and the type of healthcare beingprovided.

These patient care areas are again divided into smallerfire-resisting zones, known as sub-compartments, usuallyhaving a reduced period of fire resistance to that of the largercompartment. Central to the design concept is the ability


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5.11 Advice on Specific Building TypesThe use to which a particular building is put can result in aparticular emergency egress strategy being required. Forexample, buildings used for the treatment of people withillnesses, such as hospitals, will have completely differentegress needs and characteristics to office buildings.Thissection provides some advice on egress strategies for anumber of common public building types.These are:• health service buildings;• educational buildings;• heritage buildings; and• public service buildings.

Each of these building types is discussed in turn below.

Health service buildings

Included in this building category are:• hospitals;• residential care premises;• nursing care premises;• clinics; and• day centres.

Health service buildings will have a higher proportion ofoccupants requiring assisted evacuation than any otherbuilding use. As a result, the general design guidance used forsuch buildings takes the needs of people with disabilities intoaccount, and disability issues are accommodated within themore general escape provisions. In addition, patients couldrequire the continued use of equipment, such as monitors andrespirators during, and for some time after, an evacuation.Clearly, many of the occupants will be at significantly elevatedrisk if evacuated to the external air in cold or inclement

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and sub-compartments are clearly identified, recordsmaintained and breaches prohibited. Any adjustment inthe layout of the floor area may require a consequentialadjustment of the fire systems, which often lie hidden withinthe building structure.

Educational buildings

Included in this building category are:• pre-schools;• primary schools;• secondary schools; and• colleges of further education.

These type of premises, particularly schools for youngerstudents, are typically off limits to the general public, with thedisposition of disabled staff and pupils being less of an unknownthan for other types of public access buildings. General meansof escape provisions, together with structural fire precautions,impose limits on the maximum floor area within a compartmentto around 800m².These design constraints both reduce thelevel of risk and facilitate the concept of progressive horizontalevacuation more easily than for many other building categories.Coupled with occupant characteristics of discipline and strongfocus on teaching staff, these buildings are comparativelystraightforward to design and manage around occupantswith disabilities.

In a risk assessed approach in existing premises, it might bepossible to identify the most suitable location(s) for use bythose with mobility impairments, ideally at ground level. Theserooms could be used to meet the needs of particular staff orstudents in lieu of classroom rotation, which is more customary.This principle, of course, will not be so easily applied in


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to move from an affected fire-resisting zone to an adjoiningunaffected zone, thereby requiring sub-compartments to havesufficient capacity to accommodate the occupants from anadjoining zone.The height of the building will often dictate ifit is necessary to have the ability to move to more than oneadjoining zone, i.e. to be able to choose the direction of escape.

Within this context of fire-resistant cellular design, staff/patientratios and a philosophy for assisted evacuation are alsoenshrined. As there is an imperative to reduce pre-movementtimes to a minimum, heavy reliance is placed on automatic firedetection and staff actions.Training and evacuation drills are,therefore, essential. In such circumstances, it is obviously moreappropriate for staff members to role play on behalf of patients.However, more active patients may be willing and capable ofparticipating.

In recent years, a shortfall of available nursing staff hasresulted in an increase in personnel being recruited fromoverseas, with a resultant potential for problems arising fromcommunication and language difficulties.Training is essential toensure that all staff are able to fulfil their role in theevacuation plan.

The physical elements of hospital buildings, as with manyheavily used building types, tend to be subjected to abuse. Asnew technology is installed or maintenance work carried out,fire resistance and compartmentation can often be interferedwith.With the importance placed on fire resistance betweenzones in evacuation strategies for this building type, it isessential that the structure is maintained in good order,particularly those elements not generally seen, such as in voidsabove ceilings.To this end, in order for the escape philosophyto succeed, it is vital that fire-resisting zones, compartments

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rather than the minimum, expected occupant capacity.The concept of progressive horizontal evacuation, utilisingthe higher levels of compartmentation provided, will meritconsideration.

Heritage buildings

Included in this building category are:• historic buildings; and• monument sites.

Due to their protected status, heritage buildings can oftenprove to be the most problematic in terms of affording accessto, and consequently suitable egress by, people with disabilities.But it also follows that, unless adequate and reasonable meansof escape can be provided, it is irresponsible to provide orallow access. It should not be construed that the provision ofaccess without suitable means of escape is some form ofcompromise.

Because of their national importance, heritage buildings rarelyfacilitate entry without some form of access control, if for noother purpose than to prevent vandalism and theft.Thisprerequisite for managed and supervised access provides anopportunity to assess the impairments of visitors in a dynamicway and, therefore, continually assess the levels of risk and thespecific assistance that might be required by visitors at anygiven time. Obviously, the ability to identify and assess thesignificance of physical and mental impairments in this wayrequires a level of training and skill. Thresholds at which entryis restricted or prohibited must be benchmarked againstpredetermined criteria, and the capacity of staff to deal withthe varying permutations of occupant and building constraintsshould be subject to regular audits across the staff spectrum.


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circumstances where specialist equipment, such as required inlaboratories, IT suites and workshops, is provided or where astaff member requires access to a staff room. In suchcircumstances, a similar risk assessment might identify specificfeatures and management protocols that would facilitate thesafe evacuation of a student or staff member with a disabilityfrom the areas required for access.This could best beachieved through the use of PEEPs as discussed previously.Thus it might be possible to provide comprehensive means ofescape provisions to selected areas, matching those to whichaccess is available or has been provided. However, constantreview by management is vital where this approach is adopted,as even temporary impairments, such as fractured or brokenlimbs, might necessitate the relocation of an entire class toanother part of the school or campus. It should be noted that,in an attempt to discharge the requirement under the Act toprovide access, some designers and building managers haveoverlooked their responsibility to provide safe egress. In anyevent, where access is provided in educational buildings, thenthe principles for unassisted escape should follow theguidance in this document.

Events that encourage access by the wider public, such asparent-teacher meetings or concerts and plays, might frustratethe control measures in place for normal use, and considerationshould be given to establishing the specific needs of visitorsprior to their arrival. It is recommended that the assembly areasof educational buildings be assumed to require universal accessand egress.

New educational buildings should be designed to facilitateaccess and egress requirements by all users. However, aspreviously discussed, the provision of refuge spaces shouldbe subject to a specific assessment based on the maximum,

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As stated, the difficulty of providing means of escape fromhistoric buildings should not be underestimated and thisconstraint is often as applicable to non-disabled peopleas to those with disabilities. This type of premises will oftennecessitate the involvement of a fire safety specialist who canassess the implications of the building constraints, such aspoor fire resistance or smoke control, together with thephysical constraints of its occupants, such as poor mobility orpoor vision. It is essential, for this exercise to be meaningful,that the building management are fully engaged in this process.

Public service buildings

Included in this building category are:• central government premises;

• local authority premises, including motor tax offices;

• libraries;

• police stations;

• motor tax offices;

• passport offices;

• public leisure centres, including local authority swimmingpools and gymnasiums; and

• courts of law.

This type of premises is often split between public accessand non-public access areas.Within the non-public accessareas, i.e. the staff accommodation, the levels of impairmentwill usually be more easily identifiable and management canestablish the appropriate evacuation plans. As a matter ofgood practice, all staff should be invited at recruitment and atregular intervals thereafter to discuss their needs in the eventof an emergency evacuation and develop a PEEP, which shouldbe tested not less than every six months.The risk assessment


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Sensitive smoke detection systems, known as aspiratingdetectors, can be unobtrusively installed where the internaldecoration is of significant historic interest.These detectionsystems use pipework, about the diameter of a pencil, to“sniff” and sample the internal atmosphere for particles ofsmoke and can readily detect small ignitions, such as a matchbeing struck.These ultra-fast detectors can dramaticallyreduce the time to detection, allowing additional time forescape, compared to conventional fire alarm systems, eventhose provided with automatic detection.

In these types of premises, fire suppression systems, suchas sprinklers, can suppress or extinguish a fire in the earlydevelopment stages.This type of intervention has benefits forboth the occupant and the historic building alike. Althoughtheir utilisation might not, in the first instance, appearconsistent with the environs of a place of historical interest,their workings can nowadays be effectively concealed withinthe fabric to be totally unobtrusive.

With the availability of other active systems, such as smokeextraction, pressurisation, gas flooding, etc., suitable meansof escape can often be “engineered” where traditional physicalfire-resisting measures would be considered an unacceptableintrusion.

In addition to active systems, approved methods are availablefor upgrading floors, walls and doors without affecting theircharacter or appearance; indeed the introduction of self-closingdoors or maintaining internal doors in a closed position willprovide considerable benefit, even if the doors themselveshave only nominal fire resistance.

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• the layout and design of the building;

• any fire safety strategies proposed as part of the buildingdesign;

• the presence and operation of all fire safety systems suchas fire alarm or smoke control;

• the maintenance requirements of the fire safety systems;

• the occupancy profile for the building;

• the processes and activities undertaken in the building;

• any special risks associated with the building;

• risk assessments for all hazards identified;

• Fire and Rescue Service response times andrequirements and potential unavailability of resourcesdue to other commitments; and

• specific needs of individuals with disabilities.

The occupancy profile for the building will provide informationabout the likely numbers of people with disabilities and thetypes of disability that could be expected. In buildings that areopen to the public, it is not possible to know exactly what theoccupancy profile will be, but assumptions will still need to bemade in order to prepare plans. In some buildings, it is possibleto have reasonably accurate information about the occupancyprofile.This is generally the case in buildings with controlledaccess, such as hospital wards, residential care premises, studentaccommodation or office buildings. However, even in thesebuildings, it is possible for exceptional circumstances to arisewhen visitors are present or events are being run. Emergencyevacuation planning needs to be able to take account of theseexceptions.


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process, together with the guidance in this publicationshould assist.

The public access areas tend to prove more problematicin terms of determining the numbers of occupants withimpairments, the degree of impairment and the reducedopportunity to develop bespoke evacuation strategies for thebuilding. Within public access areas, therefore, it should beassumed that the population is representative of the nationalaverage and that approximately 10% of the occupants will havesome level of physical or intellectual disability. Where norestriction is afforded to access, then there is a clear onus onthe building management to ensure that such measures are inplace to facilitate either the assisted or unassisted evacuationof all of the building’s occupants. In circumstances where access isrestricted, and management protocols are in place to evaluatethe numbers of visitors with impairments and the nature oftheir impairments, then it is easier to plan for the assisted orunassisted evacuation of a quantifiable number of people.

5.12 Emergency PlanningA great deal of guidance is provided in BS5588-12: 2004 ‘Fireprecautions in the design, construction and use of buildings –Part 12: Managing fire safety’.This document deals withmanaging fire safety from the design stage throughcommissioning to end use.

The aim of emergency evacuation planning is to have in placea system for making sure that everyone in the building cansafely escape in the event of a fire or other emergency.

To plan effectively, it is first necessary to have comprehensiveinformation about:

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is essentially an agreement between the management and theindividual on what steps will be taken if an emergencyevacuation is required.

The PEEP matches the needs of the person with disabilitiesto the capabilities of the egress design and managementsystem. Using a PEEP, it is possible to have assistancepre-arranged through a buddy system, with pertinentinformation about the person’s needs conveyedin advance to the helper.

Guidance on the preparation of PEEPs is provided in the‘Access Handbook Template’ produced by the NDA(www.nda.ie) and further information is available in apublication produced by The Northern Officer Group (NOG)entitled ‘Personal Emergency Egress Plans’.

These documents give comprehensive advice on thepreparation of escape plans and make the point that their useis intended to be very specific to individuals.

Important issues in the development and use of PEEPs include:• consultation with the person for whom the plan is

drafted is essential;

• ensuring staff with hidden disabilities can have a PEEPwhile maintaining appropriate confidentiality;

• ensuring that the needs of staff members withcognitive or mental health impairments (such asunderstanding alarm warnings, avoiding panic reactionsor distress) are met;

• ensuring cover is arranged for PEEP assistants who areon holiday, sick or away from the place of work is vital;


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To provide for the needs of people with disabilities, it isnecessary for the emergency evacuation plan to haveaddressed the following questions:• Will evacuation be total, phased or zoned?

• How will management be made aware of the presence ofthose who need assistance with alerting or evacuation?

• How will the alarm be raised and what arrangements arerequired for those with sensory impairments?

• At which stage are people with disabilities evacuated?

• What staff to occupant ratio is required to ensuresafe egress?

• Are lifts available for evacuation?

• What training do staff members require to enable themto provide assistance?

• What aids and equipment will be required to assist withevacuation?

• How can staff be clearly identified to those needingassistance?

Personal Emergency Egress Plans (PEEPs)

In drawing up an emergency evacuation plan, it is essential toconsult disability groups or, if possible, building users includingstaff. Where regular users of the building (including staff,visitors, contractors, etc.) need assistance with evacuationand it is possible to identify them, then it will be essential todevelop individual plans which meet their needs.These plansare known as Personal Emergency Egress Plans or PEEPs.

The drawing up of a PEEP must be done in partnershipwith the person affected and needs to have a degree of inbuiltflexibility to allow for exceptional circumstances.The PEEP

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• Use the Safety Statement as a means to integrate egressplanning into general health and safety;

• Consult with employees, visitors, other buildingoccupiers, special interest groups and enforcementagencies, etc. to identify their needs;

• Understand general principles for means of escapefor people with disabilities;

• Identify types of fire warning systems installed andconsider alternative features to assist people withdisabilities;

• Consider wayfinding issues for people with disabilitiesand the possible technological solutions available;

• Review horizontal circulation within the building in thecontext of Technical Guidance Document M and BS8300;

• Consider the design, location and use of refuges and safeareas in the building;

• Look at vertical circulation within the building – stairsand lifts – and the possible methods for movingwheelchairs vertically;

• The use of evacuation lifts for vertical escape isrecommended as good practice;

• Develop PEEPs for all who require them; and

• Produce an emergency egress plan which draws from theinformation and understanding of the safe egress forpeople with disabilities, and incorporate this into theSafety Statement.


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• training needs to be up to date and include practicalelements such as drills; and

• PEEPs need to be reviewed regularly and updated asnecessary.

A copy of the ‘Personal Emergency Egress Plan Template’ usedin the NDA’s ‘Access Handbook Template’ is included inAppendix 2, together with a copy of the ‘Emergency EgressQuestionnaire’ used in the NOG document.

The information supplied in the preceding sections of thisdocument will be of help in planning for safe egress.Thenumber of people involved in drawing up the plan will dependon the size of the organisation. However, even if only oneperson is involved, it will be useful to have access to a reviewerfor comment. It may be beneficial to have assistance fromsomeone in the health and safety or fire safety professions.

When the emergency egress plan has been produced andtested to ensure that it meets the needs of people withdisabilities, it should be incorporated into the SafetyStatement required under health and safety legislation.

5.13 Planning for Egress – Summary• Gain an understanding of the factors affecting means of

escape generally, including the timeline for available safeegress time (ASET);

• Consider the particular difficulties faced by people withdisabilities – on recognition time, response time andmovement time;

• Complete risk assessments for all activities where egressis an issue – the checklist in Appendix 3 will be of help;

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management systems, which is of paramount importance.A further aspect is the regular testing and practicing ofemergency evacuation plans to ensure familiarity andcontinuing suitability. There is also a need to ensure adequatecommunication of the egress plan, policies and procedures toall potential users.

Managing egress can range from taking very simple actionssuch as evaluating meeting and conference rooms or eventspaces for disability egress and planning meetings in the mostappropriate rooms to developing complex evacuation plansusing active fire systems.

To this end, it is important that building operators enquireof all people making group bookings if there are requirementsneeded with regards to disability or other issues so that it canbe confirmed that means of escape provisions are adequate.

6.1 Making Changes to the BuildingIf alterations to the building structure or systems are requiredto meet the egress needs of people with disabilities, this workwill need to be carried out as soon as possible. It is importantto remember that such work may affect the Fire Certificatefor the building and require the consent of the local authority.If it is likely that some time will be taken to make changes, it isworth looking at temporary measures or arrangements toensure safe egress for people with disabilities.It is recommended that, during any refurbishment works,consideration is given to upgrading the accessibility of theproperty and enhance facilities for all potential users.


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IntroductionOnce developed, the emergency egress plan will need to beimplemented in a structured way to ensure it is successful.An implementation programme will be needed which coversmaking any necessary changes to the building or systems,communication of the plan to all those who need to knowabout it, training staff on its operation and testing to ensuresuitability.

This section will meet the following aim of the document:• Aim 3 – to give guidance on providing safe egress for

people with disabilities.

For organisations to be confident that the emergency egressneeds of people with disabilities will be met, carefulconsideration must be given to the building design so thatfeatures which are needed to ensure safety are built in.This isonly one aspect of the emergency escape performance of thebuilding, however. Once a building is in use, it is important thatsound operational management systems for egress are inplace which give clear guidance to all building users on whatthey need to do to ensure their own safety and that of others.

There are a number of aspects to providing good operationalmanagement systems.The first is to have in place clearmanagement policies that define the organisation’s overallapproach to emergency egress in general and emergencyegress for people with disabilities in particular. A robust riskmanagement regime needs to be in place which ensurescontinuing assessment of risks as the organisation developsand changes. Risk assessment needs to be backed up byprocedures and plans that will deliver the policy outcomes.Staff training is also an aspect of good operational

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6.3 EvacuationAidsSome equipment is available to assist people with disabilitiesand those managing the evacuation process. Equipment isavailable to make the giving of warnings about an emergencymore effective, to provide assistance with wayfinding and tomake movement towards escape, particularly vertically, easier.

Evacuation chairs

Ascending or descending stairs remains the most difficultpart of escape travel for people with mobility impairments.As mentioned elsewhere, the use of passenger lifts foremergency evacuation is not advised due to the potential forpeople to be trapped if the power supply is interrupted andthe dangers of the lift being opened inadvertently on the firefloor with the potential to expose occupants to danger. Inbuildings not equipped with evacuation lifts, the normalapproach is for those requiring assistance with mobility tomove or be moved to safe areas, where they are protectedfrom the fire, to await the assistance of trained staff. Wherewheelchair users need to be evacuated up or down stairs, itis not considered safe to evacuate them in their own chairs asthis poses unacceptable risks to those providing assistance aswell as the person in the chair.

Commercially available evacuation chairs can be used toevacuate people downwards in a controlled manner. Thechairs are designed to fold into a compact size for storagewithin protected escape stairs. Suppliers of the chairs providetraining on their operation, which needs to be given to asufficient number of people to ensure adequate levels oftrained personnel are available at all material times. Theperson requiring assisted escape must first transfer to theevacuation chair and may require assistance. The descent of


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6.2 Communicating the PlanThe emergency egress plan will need to be communicated toall those who have a role to play. Stakeholder groups who mayneed to know about the emergency egress plan will include:• fire wardens;• staff and contractors;• landlord;• other tenants or building occupiers;• general public and visitors;• fire service; and• insurers.

The form of communication and the amount of detailprovided will depend on which stakeholder group is beingtargeted. Staff who act as fire wardens will need detailedknowledge of the plan, which is best achieved through trainingsessions, whilst visitors will need only basic information,perhaps delivered via signage, verbally at reception or bypublic announcement at the start of a seminar for example.People with disabilities who are the subject of a PEEP willneed to have full understanding of all aspects which affectthem directly.The most effective form of communication forstaff will be a combination of awareness sessions,documentation and drills.The fire service may be interested invisiting the premises to familiarise the operational crews withthe emergency egress plan and to establish that it willco-ordinate with their fire-fighting procedures.

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Figure 10: Example of evac+chair in use(courtesy of Evac+Chair International Ltd)

If evacuation chairs are to be used, the following points mustbe considered:• the location and number of evacuation chairs required

depends on the number of people anticipated to requireassistance and other factors, such as the density ofdistribution of people around the building and thenumber of floors served by each stair. It would be goodpractice to provide a minimum of one evac+chair withineach refuge;

• the need for wheelchairs to be available for onwardtransportation outside the building or for personal chairsto be brought to the egress floor at the same time;

• the time required for transfer to and from the chair;

• the acceptability of use of evacuation chairs in fire drills;

• the need for training on transferring and operation ofevacuation chairs; and

• the fact that it might be very difficult or impossible for awheelchair user to transfer to an evacuation chair orthat some people might be unwilling to transfer forpersonal reasons.


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the chair is under the force of gravity and chairs are fittedwith a braking system that allows the rate of descent to becontrolled by a single person. Evacuation chairs are notdesigned for upwards escape, such as would be the casefor basements.

Other devices are available that can ascend or descendstairs using a battery-powered motor. These can be dividedinto devices which require no attachments to be fitted towheelchairs in advance and those which do. The formerdevices involve a tracked platform or support frame ontowhich a user’s wheelchair is strapped. A battery-poweredmotor enables the platform to ascend or descend stairs withminimal effort on the part of the assistant. Other stair-climbingdevices require a bracket to be fitted to the wheelchair to beevacuated, onto which the device is attached when needed.This means that stair climbing devices are generally onlysuitable for evacuation of staff members or others whosepresence in the building can be anticipated, and to whosechairs the necessary brackets have been pre-fitted. It might bepossible to make stair climbers of more general use by fittingbrackets to a spare conventional wheelchair which is stored atthe vertical escape route.

The choice of evacuation aid will be informed through thepreparation of a risk assessment.Technological advances arebeing made in the design of evacuation aids as industry reactsto increased demand brought about by the introduction oflegislation. It will be important, therefore, for buildingmanagers to keep abreast of innovations.

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6.4 Staff TrainingThe presence of trained staff to assist with the evacuation ofa building can add considerably to the level of safety achievedand reduce the time taken to escape. Staff intervention canhave a very real impact in situations where visitors who arenot familiar with the building are present, where people havemobility problems or where people are involved in activitiesto which they are very committed.

Effective staff intervention can reduce response andrecognition time for people with disabilities and can enablestaff to safely assist those who need help with getting around.

In some situations, staff intervention is absolutely essential, forexample where a person who uses a wheelchair to movearound needs to descend an escape stairway to get to safety.It is a common misconception that management responsibilityends with getting people with disabilities to the safe areas onupper floors and the Fire and Rescue Service will do the rest.Whilst fire fighters will, no doubt, do whatever is necessary tosave life, it is of enormous benefit if the evacuation of peoplewith disabilities is started before the fire service arrives at thescene, so that fire fighters are free to concentrate on otheraspects of dealing with the incident. It is the responsibility ofthe building management to make every effort to geteveryone to safety. It is, therefore, essential that organisationsprovide sufficient levels of trained staff to deal with the safeevacuation of everyone in the building.

Staff can also be trained in the appropriate and safe use offirst aid fire-fighting equipment. However, only competentand willing personnel should be encouraged to attend thisspecific training.


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The presence of a tactile corduroy warning surface at thebottom of stairs can pose a difficulty for certain evacuationchairs due to the small wheel size used. Although currentguidance in TGD M requires the provision of this type oftactile warning, some of the more recently produced codes inthe UK have moved away from its provision at internal flights.

As discussed above, the use of an evacuation chair will requirethe transfer of a wheelchair user from their personal chair tothe evacuation chair. This can be difficult for some peopledepending on their particular condition. Reluctance to use anevacuation chair may arise from a lack of confidence in the staffor equipment, or from concerns about aggravating a particularcondition or injury. Evacuation chairs are not customised tofit individual users needs and there may be some discomfortexperienced during the evacuation. It is possible that someonemight refuse to transfer to the evacuation chair, creating aproblem for the staff who are assisting. In such cases, thedevelopment of a PEEP provides an opportunity for discussionand evaluation of options.

The use of an evacuation lift will always be the best optionfor the vertical escape of those who require assistance. Inbuildings where an evacuation lift is not provided, and peopleare unable or unwilling to use an evacuation chair, then thebuilding management will need to make every effort to instilconfidence in the person with a disability that those operatingthe evacuation chairs are fully trained and capable. If this is notachievable, the organisation will need to give consideration torestricting access for some people to areas from which safeegress can be guaranteed.

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Assisting with mobility

Staff will need specialist training on particular aspects ofassisting with mobility. Examples might include the transfer ofpeople from a bed or personal wheelchair into an evacuationaid, or the safe use of an evacuation chair used to descendstairs. Manual handling training is also required so that staffknow how to safely manage heavy or awkward loads.

Communications training

It may be necessary for staff to have the ability tocommunicate with people who have hearing impairments.Thismight require a number of staff to have a basic understandingof sign language.

An important aspect of staff training is to ensure that thereare sufficient people trained to provide adequate cover atall material times.This means that sufficient numbers oftrained staff must be available to cope with contingenciessuch as absences due to holiday or illness, out-of-hours useof buildings, or abnormal occupancy levels. At times, it maybe possible to have unusually high numbers of people withdisabilities in a building simultaneously. In such circumstances,it is essential that the appropriate number of trained staffis available.

A further imperative for staff training is that it is refreshed atregular intervals and that a system is in place to ensure thatstaff turnover does not create gaps in cover.

6.5 Evacuation DrillsBS5588-12 recommends that the emergency evacuation planand procedures be tested twice yearly and that a full evacuationbe carried out once each year. Testing procedures and running


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To enable the safe egress of people with disabilities, particularemphasis needs to be placed on the training of staff in thefollowing areas:

General evacuation procedure training

All staff require a level of training on the emergencyprocedures that have been put in place for the building.This should form part of induction training for new staff.

Specific evacuation procedure training

Those staff who are given particular responsibilities in anemergency evacuation, such as fire wardens, will need morein-depth training to enable them to complete their dutiessuccessfully and safely. Staff members with PEEPs will requireappropriate training and support to ensure the PEEP can beimplemented safely.

General disability awareness

It is important that staff who will be required to intervenein an emergency evacuation have an understanding of generaldisability issues.This will enable them to appreciate thedifficulties faced by people with disabilities and to anticipatethe type of assistance that might be required. Of particularimportance is an understanding of cognitive and mental healthimpairments and an appreciation of “hidden” disabilities thatmight be overlooked. Staff should be trained in techniques tominimise the panic that some people with cognitive or mentalhealth impairments may experience in the event of anemergency evacuation, and the importance of providing andreiterating clear instructions on evacuation procedures.

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• Develop staff training programmes to cover all aspects ofthe egress plan; and

• Arrive at a schedule for emergency evacuation drills(twice per year), both announced and unannounced.


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evacuation drills demonstrates that the emergency evacuationplan is valid, enables fine tuning of the plan and ensures thatstaff are familiar with the steps to take and have had a chanceto practice. It is important for procedures testing and drills toreflect actual evacuations.This may include having people withdisabilities involved in the exercises or having role players.The maximum benefit is achieved from testing and drills if adebriefing takes place after each and the learning that resultsis used to review the plans and procedures.

Drills can be either announced or unannounced and it ispreferable that both take place. Announced drills are usefulfor training purposes but unannounced drills will enable theeffectiveness of the procedures to be tested. It must beremembered that drills do not always accurately reflect thesituations that can arise in a real emergency such as thepresence of smoke, flame or injured people. Allowances needto be made in the emergency plan for these eventualities.

It is essential that accurate records of all drills are kept tocomply with health and safety legislation and to ensure thatany corrective action required is implemented.

6.6 ImplementingYour Egress Plan –Summary

• Carry out any alterations required to meet the egressneeds of those with disabilities;

• Communicate the plan to all those who need to know;

• Consider simple aspects of building use that impact onthe egress plan;

• Investigate the use of evacuation aids such asevacuation chairs;

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• the evacuation plan is modified to deal with changingcircumstances;

• someone at senior management level has executiveresponsibility for ensuring safe egress;

• management at all levels take ownership of egressresponsibilities;

• an egress risk assessment process is in place and remainseffective;

• significant egress failures are formally identified andrecorded and that appropriate corrective action is taken;

• PEEPs are reviewed at least annually; and

• inspections and tests have been carried out and recordsmaintained.

Some examples of measurements that could be ofbenefit include:• availability of fire wardens or PEEP buddies;

• occupation levels as a percentage of the total potentialoccupancy;

• evacuation times for fire drills;

• satisfaction of people affected;

• level of staff knowledge with egress procedures;

• level of liaison with Fire and Rescue Service;

• levels of maintenance of fire safety systems and aids;

• frequency and nature of “near misses” duringevacuations;

• frequency and timing of fire safety training; and

• number of staff meetings held to discuss egress plans.


99

IntroductionMeasurement is essential to ensure egress performanceis kept at a high level.When performance falls below thislevel then corrective action should be taken. Proceduresto monitor, measure and record egress on a regular basisshould be developed along with other key health and safetyperformances indicators. Records should be kept in the Fireand General Records Register as required by health andsafety legislation.

This section will help to meet the following aims of thedocument:• Aim 2 – to impart the ability to identify egress

features that are normally designed into buildings andthe capability of using this information in preparing riskassessments and emergency evacuation plans;



7.1 Demonstrating PerformanceGood egress performance could be demonstrated by showingevidence that:• monitoring takes place at least annually during live drills;

• scenarios are included in fire drills to replicateeventualities, such as the loss of an exit due to fire;

• egress policy reflects current situations;

• the egress system provides effective monitoring andreporting on performance;

98



Egress Policy

IndependentAuditing

Information link

Control Link

Planning for Egress




Initial Review

8 ReviewingPerformance ofYour Egress Plan

101

7.2 Measuring Performance of YourEgress Plan – Summary

• Develop a range of measurements that allow theperformance of the egress plan to be quantified; and

• Regularly measure performance, report to seniormanagement and ensure that appropriate action is taken.

100

• changes in current good practice; and

• outcomes from fire risk assessments.

Regular reviews will ensure that management have continuingconfidence in the plan and will indicate the need foramendment or redesign.

The organisation will need to decide on the frequency ofreviews and come up with appropriate methods for reviewingthe plan.The aim of each review is to come up with requiredactions and have these assigned to individuals for action withinan agreed timeframe. If serious defects with the plan areidentified, it will be necessary to react quickly to ensure thatsafe egress is maintained for all.

To enable reviews to be carried out, it is necessary to haveaccess to the measurements outlined in Section 7. Anassessment will need to be made of the accuracy of theinformation gathered through these measurements.

Techniques that can be used to assist with reviews include:• desktop appraisals of measurement information;

• involvement of external agencies such as the Fire andRescue Service in participating or monitoring drills;

• systematic inspection of fire safety measures and therecording of defects noted;

• surveys of staff, building users and visitors to establisheffectiveness of evacuation provision; and

• networking and benchmarking with other organisationsand industry professionals.

The outcome of the review process should be a continuallyevolving and increasingly robust emergency evacuation plan.


103

IntroductionTesting of the emergency egress plan is necessary to ensurethat it has met the objectives established at the initial review.Once implemented, regular reviews are required to ensurethat the plan continues to deliver and remains appropriate todeal with changes in circumstances.

This section will help to meet the following aims of thedocument:• Aim 2 – to impart the ability to identify egress features

that are normally designed into buildings and thecapability of using this information in preparing riskassessments and emergency evacuation plans;

• Aim 3 – To give guidance on providing safe egress forpeople with disabilities; and

• Aim 4 – To identify good practice in relation to safeegress for people with disabilities.

8.1 Regular ReviewsSome examples of changes that could require alterations tothe emergency egress plan include:• alterations to the building construction, layout or systems;

• changes to accessibility of the building;

• changes in Fire and Rescue Service response or procedures;

• changes to legislation;

• changes in staffing levels;

• changes in the number of people with disabilitiesemployed;

• changes in the services provided or products availablefrom the building;

102

A further desired outcome from regular reviewing should alsobe the identification and implementation of good practice andimprovements in technology.

8.2 AuditThe review process described above will normally becarried out by those who developed and implemented theemergency egress plan. It will also be necessary to have theplan independently audited periodically. This has the benefitsof enabling a fresh look to take place, of allowing other ideasto come forward and of giving some rigour to the checkingprocess. Independent audits should be carried out to anagreed timeframe, perhaps one year after implementation andthen at longer intervals subsequently. The independent reviewcould be carried out by someone responsible for safe egressin another branch of the organisation, for example, or througha reciprocal arrangement with an unrelated organisation.Alternatively, it may prove beneficial to engage the servicesof a health and safety or fire safety professional to carry outthe audit. As with any review feedback, it is important thatsenior management are aware of performance, that peopleare given responsibility to act on recommendations andthat appropriate resources are available to makenecessary changes.

8.3 Reviewing Performance Of YourEgress Plan – Summary

• Monitor performance of the egress plan against theobjectives set;

• Regularly review the plan in the light of changingcircumstances, both internal and external; and

• Have independent audits carried out at agreed intervals.

104

9 ConclusionThrough the use of this document, the designated managerwith responsibility for safe egress should have a clearerunderstanding of the issues requiring consideration forpeople with disabilities.

It should be noted that the building, its usage and the varyinglevels of ability of the potential occupants dictate that theassessment of the suitability of the means of escape mustbe case-specific. Generic assessments and broad brushpolicy approaches are not likely to be suitable.

Inherent in successful egress management will be thecommunication and agreement of the egress procedures withthose likely to require assistance, in order to instil confidencethat the arrangements are sufficiently robust and effective toensure the expedient and safe evacuation of all.

In some buildings, it may not be possible to discuss proceduresor assess the specific needs of all visitors to the building. Insuch circumstances, it may be necessary to consult widely toensure that, as far as practicable, every eventuality has beenconsidered. In every circumstance, the implementation of themanagement system outlined in this document should ensurethat suitable evacuation strategies are deliverable.

The key elements of the management system are:• carry out an initial review;• develop an egress policy;• plan for safe egress;• implement your egress plan;• measure the performance of your egress plan; and• review the performance of your egress plan.

107106


Appendix 1

109

Appendix List1. Glossary of Terms2. PEEP Questionnaire and Template3. Risk Assessment Checklist4. Further Information

108


Evacuation liftA lift designated to have additional protection, with controlsthat enable it to be used under direct control of the firebrigade or a competent person to assist with evacuation.

Fire-fighting lift

A lift designated to have additional protection, with controlsthat enable it to be used under direct control of the firebrigade in fighting a fire.

Fire resistance

The inherent capability of a building assembly, or an elementof construction, to resist the passage of heat, smoke and flamefor a specified time during a fire.

Fire safety strategy

A coherent and purposeful arrangement of fire protection andfire prevention measures which is developed in order to attainspecified fire safety objectives.

Inclusive design

Design of an environment that can be used equally byeveryone, regardless of disability, age, ethnicity or gender.

PEEP

Personal Emergency Egress Plan is a way of matching thecapabilities of an individual building to the needs of individualemployees with disabilities.

Refuge area

A building space directly adjoining, and visible from, a mainvertical evacuation route – robustly and reliably protected

111

Glossary of TermsAccessibility

Ease of independent approach, entry and/or use of a facilitywith an assurance of individual health, safety and welfareduring the course of those tasks, usually to a widely acceptedstandard such as BS8300.

CompartmentA part of a building (comprising one or more rooms, spacesor storeys) constructed to prevent the spread of fire orsmoke from another part of the same building.

DisabilityDisability in relation to a person means a substantialrestriction in the capacity of the person to carry on aprofession, business or occupation in the State or toparticipate in social or cultural life in the State by reasonof an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectualimpairment – Disability Act (2005).

EgressIndependent emergence of user(s) from a building andimmediate vicinity.

Evacuation chairAn evacuation chair can facilitate the transfer of people withsignificant physical disability in event of emergency egress. It isa purpose-designed unit which is usually wall-mounted andstored in a refuge area or in a prominent position on the route ofescape.These units are not suitable for transfer of all people withdisabilities and staff assisting should be trained in their use.

110


Appendix 2PEEP Questionnaire and Template

113

from heat, smoke and flame during and after a fire – wherepeople may temporarily wait with confidence for furtherinformation, instructions and rescue assistance withoutobstructing or interfering with the evacuation travel of otherbuilding users.

Safety zone

Refer to refuge area (above).

Signage

Type of graphics created to display information or directionsof a particular location.

Tactile

Profiled surface or finish providing guidance or warning topeople with vision impairments, e.g. blister paving is a styleof tactile paving used to provide guidance at crossings.

Two-way communication system

This system allows communication typically betweenoccupants of a refuge area and a management control pointduring evacuation.

Wayfinding

This is the process of identifying, travelling along and adheringto a suitable route – usually comprising two main components– the negotiation of obstructions or features and navigation ofa route or direction.

112


Name _____________________________

Job Title _____________________________

Department _____________________________

Brief Descriptionof Duties _____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

Location

1. Where are you based for most of the time?Please name the building, the floor and the room number.

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

2. Will your job take you to more than one location in thebuilding in which you are based?

Yes � No �

3. Will your job take you to different buildings?

Yes � No �

115

PEEP Questionnaireand TemplateEmergency Egress Questionnaire

1. Why you should fill in the form

As your employer, __________________________has a legal responsibility to protect you from fire risks andensure your health and safety at work.To do this properly weneed to know:• if you require information about our emergency egress

procedures; and• if you need assistance during an emergency.

It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to completethe form.

2. What will happen when you have completedthe form

We will be able to provide you with information you needabout the emergency egress procedures in the building(s) inwhich you work.

If you need assistance, we will be able to work out a ‘PersonalEmergency Egress Plan’ for you.To do this, we will discuss thebest ways of getting you out quickly and comfortably. We willinvolve you, your manager and the person(s) in charge of thebuilding(s) in which you work. But don’t worry; we do not seeyou as the problem – you are not a safety risk. The problembelongs to us and the building in which you work.

114


6. Are the signs which mark the emergency exits and theroutes to the exits clear enough?

Yes � No �

EmergencyAlarms

7. Can you hear the fire alarm(s) provided in your place(s)of work?

Yes � No � Don’t know �

8. Could you raise the alarm if you discovered a fire?


Assistance

9. Do you need assistance to get out of your place of workin an emergency?


If No, please go to Question 13

10. Is anyone designated to assist you to get out in anemergency?


If No, please go to Question 12. If Yes, give name(s) andlocation(s).

_____________________________

_____________________________


117

Awareness of Emergency Egress Procedures

4. Are you aware of the emergency egress proceduresthat operate in the building(s) in which you work?

Yes � No �

5. Do you require written emergency egress procedures?

Yes � No �

5a. Do you require written emergency egressprocedures to be supported by ISL interpretation?

Yes � No �

5b. Do you require emergency egress procedures to bein Braille?

Yes � No �

5c. Do you require emergency egress procedures to beon tape?

Yes � No �

5d. Do you require emergency egress procedures to bein large print?

Yes � No �

116

Remember,we do not see you as the problem – youare not a safety risk. The problem belongs to us andthe building in which you work.

Please return your completed form to

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

Personal Emergency Egress Plan

Name _____________________________

Date _____________________________

Position _____________________________

DesignatedAssistance _____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________


119

11. Is the arrangement with your assistant(s) formal (thatis, is the arrangement written into their job description)?


11a. Are you always in easy contact with thosedesignated to help you?


12. In an emergency, could you contact the person(s) incharge of evacuating the building(s) in which you workand tell them where you are located?


Getting Out

13. Can you move quickly in the event of a fire?


14. Do you find stairs difficult to use?


15. Are you a wheelchair user?


Thank you for completing this questionnaire.The informationyou have given us will help us to meet any needs forinformation or assistance you may have.

118

Evacuation Route(s): (preferably with diagrams)

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________


121

Assistance Methods/Techniques

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

Equipment Provided

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

Emergency Evacuation Procedure(s) (a step-by-step guide,from alarm to safety, of the evacuation procedures fromdifferent floors and buildings):

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

120

Risk AssessmentChecklistThe checklist below can be used to inform an appropriateplan of action, including the name and role of responsiblepersons and timeframes, which will ensure that a safe builtenvironment is maintained for all people, regardless of ability.


123

Appendix 3RiskAssessment Checklist

122

Ref

Proc

edur

esYe

sN

oSi

gnpo

stto

evid

ence

/co

mm

ents

Act

ion

/dec

isio

nA

ctio

nby

Whe

n

5D

ow

ritt

enpr

oced

ures

for

the

evac

uatio

nof

peop

lew

ithdi

sabi

litie

sex

ist?

6A

reth

epr

oced

ures

test

edre

gula

rly?

7D

oth

epr

oced

ures

take

acco

unt

of:w

alk

thro

ugh

proc

edur

es;a

nnou

nced

drill

s;an

dun

anno

unce

ddr

ills?

8A

reth

ere

proc

edur

esto

iden

tify

the

num

ber

and

loca

tion

ofpe

ople

requ

irin

gas

sist

ance

with

inth

ebu

ildin

g?


125124

Ref

Polic

yYe

sN

oSi

gnpo

stto

evid

ence

/co

mm

ents

Act

ion

/dec

isio

nA

ctio

nby

Whe

n

1D

oes

aris

k-ba

sed

emer

genc

yev

acua

tion

polic

yex

ist?

2D

oes

the

polic

ym

eet

curr

ent

lega

lreq

uire

men

tsan

d/or

best

prac

tice?

3Is

the

polic

ykn

own

topr

emis

esm

anag

ers

and

bein

gim

plem

ente

dfu

lly?

4Is

the

polic

yav

aila

ble

inla

rge

prin

t,Br

aille

,tap

eor

othe

ral

tern

ativ

efo

rmat

sup

onre

ques

t?


127126

Ref

Proc

edur

es(c

ontin

ued)

Yes

No

Sign

post

toev

iden

ce/

com

men

tsA

ctio

n/d

ecis

ion

Act

ion

byW

hen

12H

asac

coun

tbee

nta

ken

ofth

elik

ely

pres

ence

ofgu

ide

dogs

?(N

BIt

isno

tre

com

men

ded

that

any

evac

uatio

nst

rate

gysh

ould

sugg

est

sepa

ratin

ga

dog

from

itsow

ner)

13A

repr

oced

ures

and

info

rmat

ion

rega

rdin

gth

eus

ean

dno

n-us

eof

lifts

inan

emer

genc

yin

plac

e?

14A

repi

ctor

ials

ymbo

lsin

clud

edon

allf

ire

evac

uatio

nsi

gns?

15D

ofir

eex

itsi

gns

indi

cate

whi

chex

itsar

esu

itabl

efo

rw

heel

chai

rs?

Ref

Proc

edur

es(c

ontin

ued)

Yes

No

Sign

post

toev

iden

ce/

com

men

tsA

ctio

n/d

ecis

ion

Act

ion

byW

hen

9A

repr

oced

ures

inpl

ace

for

peop

lew

ithdi

sabi

litie

sto

mak

eth

eir

need

skn

own

tost

aff?

10C

anex

istin

gev

acua

tion

proc

edur

esco

pew

ithth

em

axim

umnu

mbe

rof

peop

lew

ithdi

sabi

litie

slik

ely

tobe

pres

ent?

11A

rem

easu

res

inpl

ace

toco

ntro

lacc

ess

toth

ebu

ildin

gsh

ould

exis

ting

copi

ngm

echa

nism

sbe

atfu

llca

paci

ty?


129128

Ref

Peop

leYe

sN

oSi

gnpo

stto

evid

ence

/co

mm

ents

Act

ion

/dec

isio

nA

ctio

nby

Whe

n

20Is

are

spon

sibl

epe

rson

nom

inat

edto

hand

over

info

rmat

ion

toFi

rean

dR

escu

eSe

rvic

es,i

nclu

ding

info

rmat

ion

abou

tth

epr

esen

ceof

peop

lew

ithdi

sabi

litie

san

dth

eir

part

icul

ardi

sabi

lity?

(Giv

ede

tails

ofno

min

ated

pers

on)

21D

oes

am

eans

exis

tfo

ras

sess

ing

the

exte

ntof

any

assi

stan

ceth

atpe

ople

with

disa

bilit

ies

are

likel

yto

requ

ire?

22Is

the

loca

tion

ofpe

ople

with

disa

bilit

ies

with

inth

ebu

ildin

gkn

own?

Ref

Proc

edur

es(c

ontin

ued)

Yes

No

Sign

post

toev

iden

ce/

com

men

tsA

ctio

n/d

ecis

ion

Act

ion

byW

hen

16A

regr

ound

floor

fire

exits

leve

lor

ram

ped

and

isth

ere

asu

itabl

eex

tern

alsu

rfac

e?

17A

reem

erge

ncy

exits

chec

ked

regu

larl

yto

ensu

reth

eyar

eno

tbl

ocke

dor

impa

ssab

le?

18A

refir

epr

oced

ure

notic

es,

incl

udin

gpr

oced

ures

for

the

evac

uatio

nof

anyo

nere

quir

ing

assi

stan

ce,d

ispl

ayed

with

inth

ebu

ildin

g?

19H

asco

nsid

erat

ion

been

give

nto

allo

win

gab

le-b

odie

dpe

ople

toev

acua

tein

depe

nden

tlyof

peop

lew

ithdi

sabi

litie

s?


131130

Ref

Peop

le(c

ontin

ued)

Yes

No

Sign

post

toev

iden

ce/

com

men

tsA

ctio

n/d

ecis

ion

Act

ion

byW

hen

27H

aspr

ovis

ion

been

mad

efo

rpe

ople

with

disa

bilit

ies

once

they

have

been

evac

uate

dfr

omth

ebu

ildin

g(e

spec

ially

ifw

heel

chai

rus

ers

have

been

evac

uate

dw

ithou

tth

eir

whe

elch

air)

?

28H

asa

full

asse

ssm

ent

ofth

ene

eds

ofdi

sabl

edst

aff

mem

bers

been

cond

ucte

d?

29H

ave

addi

tiona

lsaf

ety

mea

sure

sbe

enid

entif

ied?

30H

ave

the

mea

sure

sbe

enim

plem

ente

d?

31Is

ther

ea

need

for

aPE

EPfo

ran

yst

affm

embe

r?

Ref

Peop

le(c

ontin

ued)

Yes

No

Sign

post

toev

iden

ce/

com

men

tsA

ctio

n/d

ecis

ion

Act

ion

byW

hen

23H

asa

‘bud

dy’s

yste

mbe

enco

nsid

ered

,with

appr

opri

ate

back

ups?

24D

oes

the

‘bud

dy’s

yste

mta

kein

toac

coun

tal

lwor

king

patt

erns

?

25H

asap

prop

riat

etr

aini

ngin

evac

uatio

nbe

engi

ven

toal

l‘b

uddi

es’?

26H

ave

peop

lew

ithdi

sabi

litie

sw

orki

ngas

lone

orso

lew

orke

rsbe

enac

coun

ted

for

and

appr

opri

ate

evac

uatio

nm

easu

res

adop

ted?

Ref

Prem

ises

orpl

ant

Yes

No

Sign

post

toev

iden

ce/

com

men

tsA

ctio

n/d

ecis

ion

Act

ion

byW

hen

36H

ave

suita

ble

refu

ges

been

prov

ided

?

37A

reap

prop

riat

eco

mm

unic

atio

nsav

aila

ble

with

inea

chre

fuge

?

38A

rees

cape

rout

escl

earl

ysi

gned

?

39Is

emer

genc

ylig

htin

gsu

ffici

ent

for

peop

lew

ithvi

sion

impa

irm

ents

?

40A

redo

orw

ays

wid

een

ough

for

whe

elch

air

egre

ss?

41D

oes

the

dire

ctio

nof

open

ing

ofdo

ors

hind

erth

em

ovem

ent

ofa

whe

elch

air?

Ref

Peop

le(c

ontin

ued)

Yes

No

Sign

post

toev

iden

ce/

com

men

tsA

ctio

n/d

ecis

ion

Act

ion

byW

hen

32Is

the

PEEP

avai

labl

ein

the

appr

opri

ate

form

at?

33Is

slee

ping

acco

mm

odat

ion

pres

ent

inth

ebu

ildin

gw

hich

requ

ires

addi

tiona

leq

uipm

ent

orm

easu

res?

34H

ave

the

addi

tiona

leq

uipm

ent/

mea

sure

sbe

enpr

ovid

ed?

35A

rede

taile

dan

dup

-to-

date

reco

rds

kept

onst

afft

rain

ing,

e.g.

evac

+ch

air,

fire

war

den,

fire

extin

guis

her,

first

aid,

‘bud

dy’t

rain

ing?


133132

Appendix 4Further Information


135134

Ref

Prem

ises

orpl

ant

(con

tinue

d)Ye

sN

oSi

gnpo

stto

evid

ence

/co

mm

ents

Act

ion

/dec

isio

nA

ctio

nby

Whe

n

42A

rera

mps

avai

labl

eon

egre

ssro

utes

?

43H

ave

visu

alor

sens

ory

alar

ms

been

prov

ided

for

peop

lew

ithpo

orsi

ght?

44A

reha

ndra

ilspr

ovid

edon

both

side

sof

stai

rs?

45D

oes

any

fire

orsa

fety

equi

pmen

tne

edto

bead

apte

dto

suit

the

need

sof

ape

rson

with

adi

sabi

lity?

46Is

alls

afet

yeq

uipm

ent

subj

ect

tore

gula

rte

stin

gan

dm

aint

enan

ce?

47A

rere

port

ing

proc

edur

esin

plac

efo

rde

fect

ive

equi

pmen

t?

Designing forAccessibility, CAE (2003)

Planning andAccess for Disabled People –A GoodPractice Guide, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2003)

Peter Parker and June Fraser,Sign Design Guide, JMU andthe Sign Design Society (2000)

How to Develop and Implement a Safety and HealthManagement System, Health and Safety AuthorityGuidance Document for the Healthcare Sector

NDA,Building for Everyone,The National DisabilityAuthority, Dublin (2002)

The Building Regulations (Ireland),Technical Document M2004 –Access for People with Disabilities (1997-2006)

The Building Regulations (Ireland),Technical Document B2006 – Fire Safety (1997-2006)

The Building Regulations (Northern Ireland),DFPTechnicalBooklet E 2005 – Fire Safety (2000)

The Building Regulations (Northern Ireland),DFPTechnicalBooklet R 2006 –AccessTo and Use of Buildings (2000)

The Building Regulations (2000),Approved Document M:AccessTo and Use of Buildings (England andWales),Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2003)


137

Further InformationBS5588, Part 8: 1988,Fire Precautions in the Design,Construction and Use of Buildings – Code of Practicefor Means of Escape for Disabled People,The BritishStandards Institution (1988)

BS5588, Part 12: 2004,Fire Precautions in the Design,Construction and Use of Buildings – Managing FireSafety,The British Standards Institution

BS7974: 2001,Application of Fire Safety EngineeringPrinciples to the Design of Buildings – Code ofPractice,The British Standards Institution

BS8300: 2001,Design of Buildings andTheirApproachesto Meet the Needs of Disabled People – Code ofPractice,The British Standards Institution

Buildings forAll to Use – Good Practice Guidance forImproving Existing Public Buildings for People withDisabilities, CIRIA (2004)

Peter Barker, Jon Barrick and Rod Wilson,Building Sight,HMSO in association with the Royal National Institute of theBlind (1995)

Code for Lighting, Chartered Institute of Building ServicesEngineers (2000)

CreatingAccessible Environments, College of EstateManagement Training Study Pack (2005)

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The Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1999, Part E2007:Means of Escape From Fire, Facilities for Fire-fighting and Means ofWarning of Fire in Dwellings,Scottish Executive

DD9999: 2005,Code of Practice for Fire Safety inDesign Construction and Use of Buildings

Department of Health,Firecode – Fire Safety in the NHS– HealthTechnical Memoranda

Personal Emergency Egress Plans,The Northern OfficerGroup (1993)

Access HandbookTemplate –ATool to Help ManagetheAccessibility of the Built Environment, NationalDisability Authority

Ask Me – Guidelines for Effective Consultation withPeople with Disabilities, National Disability Authority

Signage Strategy 2005, National Council for the Blindof Ireland

Dr Karen Boyce, University of Ulster,FireSert

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