California State Building Code - Means of Egress - Essay Example

Means of Egress Many people would think that the means of egress only refers to a door marked with an 'exit' sign. However, Section 1002 of the California State Building Code (CSBC) officially defines the means of egress as a "continuous and unobstructed path of vertical or horizontal egress travel from any occupied portion of a building or structure to a public way". A public way is taken to refer to an alley, street or any parcel of land leading to a street. The CSBC and other building codes view and define the means of egress as a system composed of individual elements that facilitate its identification and inspection of building inspectors and officials The system consists of the exit access, exit and exit discharge.

These are further defined in the following: 1. Exit access - refers to the part of the means of egress system that leads to an exit from any occupied portion of a building or structure. Halls, corridors, aisles and other paths which can be traversed for escape can serve as exit access. 2. Exit - refers to the part of the means of egress system separated from other interior spaces of buildings by fire-resistance-rated construction and equipment as required to provide a protective path between the exit access and the exit discharge.

This includes exit exteriors and passageways, exterior exit doors at ground level, stairs and ramps and horizontal exits.