Evacuation planning is especially important for building occupants with disabilities who may not be able to use a fire escape stairway, detect auditory alarms, or recognize and respond to a danger during an emergency (1).

Typically, dependent on the use of a building, a building could have occupants with a diverse range of ages, sizes, awareness and familiarity, cognitive skills, sensory and mobility abilities.

It’s therefore critical that any plan has the capability to communicate to those with hearing and vision impairments (2) and measures to assist those people who may find evacuating via an escape stairway challenging, difficult or not possible.

Appropriate exit signage to identify the accessible means of egress is a critical component to the successful emergency planning for any building.

References:

1. Loy, B, Hirsh, A, Batiste, LC 2004, Evacuation Preparedness: Managing the Safety of Employees with Disabilities, Occupational Health & Safety. Sep 2004, Vol. 73 Issue 9
2. Logli, M 2009, ‘Developing Evacuation Plans’, Professional Safety, Aug 2009, Vol. 54 Issue 8, pp.44-45