Maintaining required egress routes during renovations can be a challenge, but it’s important to ensure code-compliant exits. In this case, there is a single layer of sheetrock that has been scored so in an emergency you can bust through it like the Kool-Aid Man. I don’t remember seeing anything in the model codes that supports a Kool-Aid-Man egress model. Do you?
Thank you to Jonathan Matthew Taylor for sharing this Wordless Wednesday photo!
You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this content.
Oh yeah??? Oh nooooo!!!
Hey Lori-
This may be the faulty memory of an old guy, but I think if you’ll find “kick-out” or “knock-out” panels acceptable to code if you go back thirty or forty years. They were used as a pseudo-second-means of egress for low-occupancy or limited occupancy hazardous places. Examples might be a large equipment room, where you would have one code compliant door, and the second emergency egress at the other side of the room. The idea was only trained maintenance people would ever occupy the space, and they would know how to get out the escape panel if the main door ever got blocked.
It’s only a vague recollection at this point, and I got rid of all my old BOCA (that’s how far back it goes) codes when I retired. But I think it used to exist.
George
Hi George –
That’s interesting. I have never seen that in the old codes, but maybe someone else will have a dusty copy of BOCA on their bookshelf, and get curious.
– Lori
I’ve got a 1990 BOCA. I looked for a while but couldn’t find anything.
We have a large mechanical room (1500sf-ish)on the second floor of one of our buildings.
One end has a proper exit door but the other, past a row of pressure vessels, boilers ducting etc has a trap door in the floor leading to a ladder. It was latched closed with large allen screws that required a special T-handle to open. We battled management to install a proper pull and guard rails. Even if you were to get through the hatch you are faced with a vertical steel ladder leading to a custodial room. Of course the custodians find the ladder irresistible to hang rags on and stack brooms against in spite of the warning signs saying “Fire Escape Ladder Keep Clear.” Sheesh!