Evacuation route diagrams are informational signs used to advise building occupants, be they employees, residents, patients, or visitors, of the best route(s) to egress the building, or to temporary shelter from their location. It is a pictorial representation of the building/floor layout showing the closest such route from a given point in the building. This standard will provide guidelines that can be used to provide uniformity in the development and use of these signs. Consistency in design and placement of these signs can serve to increase familiarity and comprehension as well as reduce confusion, thus improving the ability of occupants to egress from the facility more easily and quickly in an emergency.

Occupancies where standardization of ERDs would be most beneficial include those which frequently have occupants unfamiliar with the facility, such as hotels, places of assembly, offices, healthcare facilities, and multiple occupancy buildings.

1.1 This standard is intended to provide minimum guidelines for the design and placement of evacuation route diagrams (ERDs) used in buildings. It covers the evacuation of building occupants when directed by emergency response authorities in emergencies such as fire, windstorm, earthquake, hazardous materials release, and other events anticipated in the geographic area of the facility.

Note 1—Evacuation from the facility is not appropriate in all emergencies. For example, a tornado may require sheltering within the building. This diagram standard is intended to be used in conjunction with a facility emergency plan and instructions on appropriate actions from building management, or emergency response authorities, or both.