Emergency Exit Plan Generator

What Is an Emergency Exit Plan?

An emergency exit plan is a detailed document and visual representation that outlines how occupants should evacuate a building during an emergency. Unlike a basic floor plan, an emergency exit plan specifically identifies evacuation routes, emergency exits, assembly areas, and the location of safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, fire alarm pull stations, and first aid kits.

Every effective emergency exit plan serves multiple purposes: it provides employees and visitors with clear guidance during emergencies, satisfies OSHA regulatory requirements, supports emergency responder operations, and demonstrates organizational commitment to workplace safety. The visual component—often called an evacuation map—is posted throughout the facility, while written procedures detail the complete evacuation protocol.

Your emergency exit plan should be tailored to your specific facility, considering factors like building layout, occupancy type, number of floors, special hazards, and the needs of employees with disabilities. Our free evacuation map generator creates customized emergency exit plans based on your uploaded floor plan and selected parameters.

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38: Emergency Action Plan Requirements

OSHA's Emergency Action Plan (EAP) standard, codified at 29 CFR 1910.38, establishes the minimum requirements for emergency exit planning in American workplaces. Understanding these requirements is essential for compliance and, more importantly, for employee safety.

Under 29 CFR 1910.38, employers must develop emergency action plans that include:

• Emergency escape procedures and route assignments: Your emergency exit plan must show employees exactly how to evacuate from their work areas, including primary and secondary routes when the primary path is blocked.
• Procedures for employees who remain: Some employees may need to operate critical equipment or shut down hazardous processes before evacuating. The plan must identify these roles and procedures.
• Accounting procedures: After evacuation, you need a system to verify all employees have safely exited. This typically involves designated assembly points and headcount procedures.
• Rescue and medical duties: If your organization has employees designated for rescue or medical response, their duties must be documented in the emergency exit plan.
• Emergency reporting procedures: The plan must specify how employees report fires and other emergencies—whether by phone, alarm, or other means.
• Contact information: Names or job titles of persons who can provide additional information about the plan and employee duties must be included.

For employers with 10 or fewer employees, the plan may be communicated orally. However, larger organizations must maintain written emergency action plans, and all employers benefit from having documented procedures regardless of size.

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.37: Exit Route Requirements

While 29 CFR 1910.38 covers emergency action plans, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.37 establishes specific requirements for exit routes themselves. Your emergency exit plan must reflect these physical requirements:

• Minimum two exit routes: Each workplace must have at least two exit routes, located far enough apart that a fire or other emergency cannot block both simultaneously.
• Exit route capacity: Routes must support the maximum number of people who could use them during an emergency, with specific width requirements based on occupancy.
• Continuous and unobstructed: Exit routes must be continuous, without requiring occupants to pass through locked doors or travel outside to reach an exit from an interior route.
• Exit door requirements: Doors in exit routes must swing in the direction of travel, cannot be locked from the inside, and must be side-hinged or pivoting.
• Illumination and signage: Exit routes must be adequately lit, with clearly visible exit signs that remain illuminated during power outages.

Our emergency exit plan generator automatically incorporates these requirements when analyzing your floor plan, ensuring the routes shown meet OSHA standards for your building type and occupancy.

Components of an Emergency Action Plan (EAP)

Your emergency exit plan is one component of a complete Emergency Action Plan. Understanding how these elements work together helps you create comprehensive emergency preparedness documentation:

For a complete Emergency Action Plan template that includes all these components, visit our OSHA Emergency Action Plan Template page.

How to Create an Emergency Exit Plan

Creating an effective emergency exit plan involves several key steps. Our AI-powered generator automates much of this process, but understanding the methodology helps you evaluate and refine your plan:

1. Facility Assessment: Begin by documenting your building layout, including all rooms, corridors, and potential exit points. Identify any areas with special hazards (chemical storage, high-voltage equipment, confined spaces) that may require specific evacuation procedures.
2. Exit Identification: Map all exits including main entrances, emergency exits, fire escape stairs, and accessible exits. Verify each exit meets code requirements for your occupancy type.
3. Route Planning: Establish primary and secondary evacuation routes from each work area. Routes should be as direct as possible while avoiding known hazards. Consider that the primary route may be blocked during an emergency.
4. Safety Equipment Placement: Document locations of fire extinguishers (within 75ft travel distance per OSHA 1910.157), fire alarm pull stations, first aid kits, AED devices, and any industry-specific safety equipment.
5. Assembly Point Designation: Select outdoor assembly areas at safe distances from the building, away from emergency vehicle access lanes, and with sufficient capacity for all occupants.
6. Accessibility Considerations: Ensure your plan accommodates employees and visitors with disabilities, including areas of refuge, evacuation chairs, and accessible route marking per ADA requirements.
7. Visual Map Creation: Create clear, easy-to-read emergency exit plan maps showing all the above elements with standardized symbols and "You Are Here" indicators appropriate for each posting location.

Upload your floor plan to our generator, and we'll handle steps 2-7 automatically, applying OSHA requirements plus industry-specific and state-specific regulations to create a compliant emergency exit plan.

Emergency Exit Plan vs. Evacuation Map vs. Emergency Action Plan

These terms are often used interchangeably, but understanding their distinctions helps ensure comprehensive emergency preparedness:

The emergency exit plan you create with our generator is the visual component that gets posted throughout your facility. It should be incorporated into your broader Emergency Action Plan documentation. For downloadable templates, see our exit plan template page.

Industry-Specific Emergency Exit Planning

Different industries face unique challenges in emergency exit planning. Our generator applies industry-specific requirements automatically, but here's what to consider for common facility types:

When you select your industry in our generator, we apply the appropriate specialized requirements to your emergency exit plan. Browse all supported industries on our industries page.