Offices & Corporate Buildings

Office Evacuation Plan

Evacuation maps for offices, corporate buildings and coworking spaces, drawn around OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 emergency action plan requirements — ready in just a few minutes.

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For offices, OSHA requires an Emergency Action Plan whenever another OSHA standard calls for one, for example when employees are to evacuate instead of using portable fire extinguishers. The plan covers how to report an emergency, how to evacuate, and how to account for everyone; evacuation maps show each employee where to go. Keep both current after every move, renovation, or seating change.

Legal requirement

Under 29 CFR 1910.38(a), an employer must have an Emergency Action Plan whenever an OSHA standard requires one, such as 29 CFR 1910.157 when employees are to evacuate rather than use portable fire extinguishers. The plan must be written, kept in the workplace, and available to employees; an employer with 10 or fewer employees may communicate it orally. NFPA 101 Chapter 38 (Business Occupancies) sets the minimum life safety requirements for office buildings, including exit signage, egress capacity, and evacuation signaling. State and local fire codes may impose additional requirements.

Applicable standards & regulations

OSHA 1910.38

Emergency Action Plans

Six minimum elements: reporting emergencies, evacuation procedures and exit route assignments, critical operations, headcount, rescue and medical duties, and contacts. Plus an employee alarm system, trained evacuation helpers, and plan review with employees.

NFPA 101 Ch. 38

Business Occupancies

Life Safety Code chapter governing offices, covering means of egress, exit signs, emergency lighting, and occupant load calculations.

ISO 7010

Safety Signs Standard

International standard defining mandatory pictograms for evacuation routes, fire equipment, and assembly points used on all compliant plans.

IBC Ch. 10

Means of Egress

International Building Code chapter specifying exit width, travel distance, corridor requirements, and accessible egress for office buildings.

ADA

Accessible Evacuation

Areas of Rescue Assistance (ARA) must be identified on the plan for employees and visitors with reduced mobility.

NFPA 10

Portable Fire Extinguishers

Specifies placement and travel distance requirements for extinguishers, which must be accurately shown on the evacuation plan.

What your evacuation plan must include

Evacuation routes per floor

Clearly marked primary and secondary exit routes for each floor, with travel distance not exceeding code limits.

Assembly point locations

External muster areas at least 50 ft from the building, clearly marked and communicated to all occupants.

Fire safety equipment

Exact locations of fire extinguishers, pull stations, fire hose cabinets, and AED units on each floor plan.

Areas of Rescue Assistance

Designated ARA locations on every floor above or below ground level for people who cannot use stairs.

Stairwells and exit doors

All stairwells, fire doors, and emergency exits labeled with their direction and destination (lobby, parking, street).

Emergency contacts

Fire warden names per floor, emergency phone numbers, and building security contacts included on each plan sheet.

Facility types we cover

Open-plan offices

Large floor plates with workstations, meeting pods, and common areas — requires multiple exit paths.

Multi-story office buildings

Stairwell mapping, floor-by-floor plans, and elevator recall procedures.

Coworking spaces

High occupant turnover means prominently posted plans and daily staff awareness.

Business parks & campuses

Multiple buildings require a coordinated plan with building-specific assembly areas.

How Fabrik simplifies compliance

250+ symbols, including official ISO 7010 pictograms — drag and drop, no drawing skills needed
Import your existing floor plan (PDF, PNG, JPG, DXF) and overlay evacuation elements in minutes
Automatic check before export (exits, travel distance, door widths, symbol size), then a print-ready PDF for your AHJ or fire inspector
Manage multiple floors and buildings from one dashboard — update once, export all
Version history keeps every update traceable after office reconfigurations
Full editor free — no credit card, on-screen preview; export from €19.99 per building

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Frequently asked questions

Is an evacuation plan legally required for offices in the US?

It depends on which OSHA standards apply, not on headcount. Under 29 CFR 1910.38(a), an Emergency Action Plan is required whenever an OSHA standard requires one, for example 1910.157 when employees are to evacuate rather than use portable fire extinguishers. The plan must be written, except that employers with 10 or fewer employees may communicate it orally. Local fire codes may impose additional requirements regardless of headcount.

How often does an office evacuation plan need to be updated?

OSHA 1910.38(f) requires you to review the plan with each covered employee when the plan is developed or the employee is first assigned to a job, when the employee's responsibilities under the plan change, and when the plan changes. Best practice is an annual review plus an update after any office renovation, relocation, or significant change in occupancy.

What must an office evacuation plan include under OSHA 1910.38?

OSHA 1910.38 requires: evacuation procedures and exit route assignments, procedures for employees who remain to operate critical systems, head-count procedures after evacuation, rescue and medical duties for designated employees, preferred means for reporting emergencies, and the names or titles of persons to contact for further information.

Can I create a compliant evacuation plan without an architect?

Yes. Fabrik is specifically designed for safety managers, facility managers, and business owners without CAD or architectural skills. You import your existing floor plan image, overlay the ISO 7010 symbols, and export a print-ready PDF — typically in just a few minutes per floor.

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