Escape routes are of crucial importance in emergencies such as fires, explosions or other dangerous situations, as they can save lives. But how wide does an escape route need to be to ensure that people in the building can be evacuated quickly and safely?
This blog article highlights the most important requirements and guidelines to be observed when planning escape routes.
Legal requirements and standards
In Germany, various laws and standards regulate the width of escape routes, including the Workplace Ordinance (ArbStättV), the Model Building Regulations (MBO) and the Technical Rules for Workplaces (ASR A2.3).
These regulations define minimum widths based on the number of people and the type of building.
How wide does an escape route need to be?
The minimum width of an escape route depends on the number of people who need to use it in an emergency. For small groups of up to five people, a width of at least 0.90 metres is prescribed.
This width increases to 1.00 metres for groups of up to 20 people. For up to 200 people, the required width is at least 1.20 metres, while larger groups of more than 200 people require a width of at least 1.80 metres and up to 400 people a width of 2.40 metres. The width increases
These values refer to the clear width, i.e. the actual usable space between walls or other fixed obstacles.
Special requirements
In public buildings such as schools, theatres or shopping centres, stricter requirements often apply as large numbers of people are regularly present. Such buildings often require wider escape routes and usually also several separate escape routes to ensure safe evacuation and avoid panic.
Escape routes in multi-storey buildings also deserve special attention. Here, it must be ensured that stairwells are sufficiently wide and free of obstacles. Additional escape routes that lead via windows, balconies or external staircases must also be included in the planning.
Safe escape and rescue routes
Escape routes must never be blocked by furniture, plants or other objects. Regular inspections are necessary to ensure that escape routes are functional and well signposted at all times.
Use our checklist to check whether the escape and rescue routes comply with the regulations.