Life Safety Code Handbook - Essay Example

This claim can be supported by Sharry’s edition of the Life Safety Code Handbook (1978), which states that the occupancy load of mercantile or retail stores is not less than 1 person for each 30 square feet gross floor area of sales space; for office or business occupancy, it is no less than 1 person per 100 square feet of gross floor area; and finally, for apartments or residential occupancy, it is 1 person per 200 square feet gross floor area. From these figures alone, we can already foresee and surmise that the first floor will be the most densely populated followed by the second and third floors, and then the fourth and fifth.

Perhaps as the resident site-safety engineer, though there is limited information given in this situation, it is imperative to assess live loads as close as possible to reality. This would give a crude idea of the dispersal of people in any given building and the maximization of other safety measure that can mitigate any damage, distortion, or discomfort to its occupants.