(1) Subject to any other provisions in this Chapter requiring a greater number of exit-ways, every building shall have at least one exit-way, and every room in any building or in a division of a building shall have access by means of at least one doorway (hereinafter referred to as an access doorway) to at least one exit-way.

(2) Except as herein after provided in this Chapter, every room or group of rooms, forming a dwelling-unit in a building shall be served by not less than two separate exit-ways, so arranged that should any one such exit-way become unusable or inaccessible, at least one other such exit-way may reasonably be expected to remain usable and accessible:

Provided that there need be only one exit-way to serve dwelling-units with a floor area not exceeding 250 square metres on any storey if the floor level of the top storey of the building is not greater than 6 metres above ground-level.

(3) For the purpose of subsection (2) the floor area means the plan area including verandas and balconies, but excludes the thickness of containing walls, lift shafts, light wells, ramps, stairways and the like.

(4) A room or group of rooms forming a dwelling-unit shall be considered to be served by two separate exit-ways if –

a) It is possible to proceed from a doorway in such room or group of rooms or from a point in an exit passageway to two alternative routes of escape from the storey on which the room or group of rooms is situated, and thence to the street; and

b) The two alternative routes of escape are situated in opposite directions, in relation to the doorway or point in the exit passageway.

(5) if only one exit doorway is provided from any dwelling-house or dwelling-unit there shall be an alternative means of egress from the dwelling-house or dwelling-unit acceptable to the local authority.

(6) Except within a dwelling-house or dwelling-unit, the length of a passageway which is not served by two separate exit-ways (in this subsection referred to as a dead-end passageway) measured from a point which is served by two separate exit-ways to the access doorway most distant from such point, shall not exceed—

For a passage open to the air on at least one side, 15,0 metres:

Provided that –

i) Not more than twenty-five persons shall be served by any one such dead-end passageway; and

ii) No dead-end passageway shall discharge into an enclosed stairway without first reaching a point in a passageway which is served by two separate exit-ways.

(7) The clear distance between any two stairways which are components of required exit-ways shall be not less than 7,5 metres, unless—

a) Such stairways are separated by a wall having a fire-resistance rating of not less than two hours; and

b) There is an access doorway through such wall protected as required for doorway in an occupancy-separation structure.

(8) The top storey of any—

a) Business, commercial or industrial occupancy-unit; or

b) Residential or storage occupancy-unit, other than one having a high fire-load;

Not exceeding two storeys in height need have only one stairway forming a component of any exit-way leading from such storey to the ground storey:

Provided that—

i) The floor area of such top storey does not exceed 300 square metres; and

ii) The top storey is a residential occupancy-unit above a business, commercial or industrial occupancy-unit or above a storage occupancy-unit, and such stairway is independent of any exit-way from the ground store; and

iii) Such stairway is constructed of non-combustible materials.

(9) Basements having a low fire-load and used only for storage purposes need have only one stairway forming a component of an exit-way, if the floor area of such basement does not exceed 100 square metres.

(10) Every building of two or more storeys in height in which the floor area of any storey above the ground storey exceeds—

a) 1 000 square metres in an occupancy-unit having a low fire-load;

b) 600 square metres in an occupancy-unit having a moderate fire-load; and

c) 400 square metres in an occupancy-unit having a high fire-load;

Shall have not less than three exit-ways serving every such storey, including the ground storey.

(11) The exit-way from an occupancy-unit used for –

A high fire-load occupancy; or

a) A public and assembly occupancy, where the population of the occupancy-unit concerned exceeds 300;

b) Shall be entirely separate from, and independent of, the exit-ways serving any occupancy-unit in the building which is used for any other purpose:

Provided that an exit-way from an occupancy-unit referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) may discharge into an enclosed stairway forming a component of an exit-way serving other occupancy-units which do not have a high fire-load.

(12) No exit-way or portion thereof which serves an occupancy-unit in one tenancy shall pass through an occupancy-unit which is, or may reasonably be expected to be, in a different tenancy.

(13) Except as provided in section 34, no access doorway shall serve a greater population of the room it serves than the following—

a) For a low fire-load occupancy, 40;

b) For a moderate or high fire-load occupancy, 20.

(14) No point on the floor of any room shall be farther from an access doorway, measured along the shortest route of travel, than the following—

a) For a low fire-load occupancy, 30 metres;

b) For a moderate fire-load occupancy, 20 metres;

c) For a high fire-load occupancy, 10 metres:

Provided that, in the case of a dwelling-unit having a single access doorway to an exit-way, no point in the dwelling-unit shall be farther from the access doorway, measured along the shortest route of travel, than 30 metres.

(15) Every space on a roof of a building in which persons are allowed to work or congregate shall be served by exit-ways as though it were a room of a building.

(16) Notwithstanding the requirements of subsection (2), but subject to the requirements of subsection (13) and (14), it shall be permissible to erect partition-walls within a space contained in an occupancy-unit in one tenancy to form separate rooms, so that access to an exit-way from one or more such rooms is contained by passing through one or more other such rooms:

Provided that—

i) Every door in every such room through which access to an exit-way is gained from any other such room shall not ne capable of being locked; and

ii) The partition-walls shall be not higher than 2,1 metres, and the space above them shall be open; and

iii) Every passage formed between such rooms within such a space shall comply with the requirements for a dead-end passage, as set out in subsection (6), except for such portions of such first-mentioned passage as are served by at least two access doorways to an exit-way without the necessity for passing through any such room.

(17) Any exit-way which serves a basement shall be entirely separated from any other exit-way, if the population of the building in which such basement is situated exceeds 40 persons:

Provided that such exit-way may discharge into an exit-court which is a component of another exit-way.

(18) Where the population of a building in which a basement is situated does not exceed 40 persons, and an exit-way which serves the basement is not separated from any other exit-way, such first-mentioned exit-way shall be marked at ground-floor level with a “NO EXIT” sign in block letters of not less than 150 millimetres in height.