What Small Businesses Actually Need
Good news: small business evacuation requirements are simpler than many think. If you have 10 or fewer employees, OSHA allows you to communicate your emergency action plan orally rather than in writing. However, a posted evacuation map is still the most practical way to ensure everyone knows the routes - and it protects you if requirements change or you grow. The key is proportional compliance: simple facility, simple plan.
Minimum Small Business Requirements
- At least two exit routes from your space
- Employees must know the evacuation signal (alarm, verbal, etc.)
- A designated meeting point outside the building
- Someone responsible for ensuring everyone evacuates
- Method to account for all employees after evacuation
- Posted evacuation map (strongly recommended even if not required)
Small Business Industry Tips
Retail Stores
- Customer evacuation is your responsibility during business hours
- Keep exit routes clear of merchandise displays
- Train staff to guide customers, not just themselves
- Post maps visible to both staff and customers
Restaurants & Cafes
- Kitchen exits may have different requirements (grease fires)
- Never block back exit with delivery boxes
- Consider evacuation with hot cooking equipment
- Patron safety is your legal responsibility
Small Offices
- Know your building's overall evacuation plan if in shared space
- Coordinate with building management on assembly points
- Even 2-person offices benefit from a simple posted map
- Include remote worker return procedures
Small Business Safety Facts
Two-thirds of small businesses lack a written emergency plan
Small businesses face the same OSHA fines as large corporations
A complete small business evacuation plan takes about 1 hour to create
Of small businesses that experience a disaster never reopen
Case Study: Bakery Gets Compliant
Challenge
A family-owned bakery assumed they were too small to worry about evacuation plans. During a fire department inspection triggered by their business license renewal, they had no posted evacuation routes, no designated assembly point, and the back exit was blocked by flour delivery.
Solution
They used our free AI tool to generate an evacuation map in 5 minutes, cleared the back exit, designated the parking lot across the street as their assembly point, and briefed all 8 employees during a 15-minute morning meeting.
Result
The fire department inspector returned the following week and cleared them immediately. Total time invested: under 1 hour. Total cost: $0. They avoided a potential $16,550 fine and now display their map proudly for customers to see.
Here's your 5-minute small business evacuation plan: 1) Walk to your front door - that's Exit 1. 2) Find your back or secondary exit - that's Exit 2. 3) Pick a spot at least 50 feet from your building visible from both exits - that's your assembly point. 4) Generate or draw a simple map showing these three elements. 5) Post the map by your front entrance. Congratulations - you now have an evacuation plan. Was that so hard? Now do a quick drill next week to make sure everyone knows the routine.