In brief
Escape route rules have two legal bases: the Regulation on the Protection of Buildings from Fire, which governs the fire safety of the building, and the emergency exit provisions of the workplace buildings regulation. An escape route may not be narrower than 80 cm, emergency exit doors open outwards and are not kept locked; revolving and sliding doors do not count as emergency exits. The most common deficiency found in inspections is escape routes later narrowed or blocked by storage.
Which legislation contains the rules for emergency exit doors?
In a factory, escape routes are governed by two different regulations together. The Regulation on the Protection of Buildings from Fire (BYKHY) sets the dimensions for width, travel distance, doors and signage; these are mostly determined in the building's design and at the construction stage. The Regulation on Health and Safety Measures in Workplace Buildings and Annexes, on the other hand, gives the employer the duty of keeping these routes clear and usable throughout operation.
This distinction matters in inspections. The design may have been drawn correctly; but if two years later shelving has been placed in the corridor and a chain has been put on the emergency exit door, the responsibility lies with the employer. Below, emergency exit door rules and the dimensions for escape routes are dealt with in the order an inspector would look at them on site.
How is escape route width determined?
Escape route width is calculated according to the maximum number of people who may be on that floor, in other words the occupant load. Under BYKHY Annex 5/A, the occupant load factor is 10 m² per person in factory production areas and packing areas, 30 m² per person in warehouses and 10 m² per person in offices. Exit capacity is calculated on the basis of a unit width of 50 cm (Art. 32).
Art. 33/1 gives the minimum dimensions:
| Total occupants on the floor | Minimum width of one escape route |
|---|---|
| 50–500 people | 100 cm |
| 501–2000 people | 150 cm |
| 2001 and above | 200 cm |
| Escape route also used as a corridor or hall serving rooms | 110 cm |
| In all cases | No exit or escape route may be narrower than 80 cm |
Example: The occupant load of a 2,400 m² production hall is 2,400 / 10 = 240 people. Each escape route leaving this hall must be at least 100 cm wide; the total exit width is also calculated according to unit width capacity. This calculation is part of the building's design; when you add a new line, mezzanine or partition, ask the design engineer for an updated calculation.
Travel distance: from the furthest point to the exit
Travel distance is the route walked from any point on the floor to the nearest exit and is limited according to the occupancy class (Art. 32/3, Annex 5/B). Single-direction escape describes a situation where escape is possible in only one direction; two-direction escape describes one where two different exits can be reached.
| Use | Single direction, no sprinklers | Single direction, sprinklered | Two directions, no sprinklers | Two directions, sprinklered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial buildings | 15 m | 25 m | 30 m | 60 m |
| High-hazard premises | 10 m | 20 m | 20 m | 35 m |
| Car parks and warehouses | 15 m | 25 m | 45 m | 60 m |
| Office buildings | 15 m | 30 m | 45 m | 75 m |
According to the footnote to Annex 5/B, in industrial buildings that do not produce highly flammable materials, single- and two-direction distances may be increased by one half.
From an inspector's point of view, the real problem is that the distance is compliant in the design but becomes longer on site. The actual walking route between racks and machines is longer than the straight-line distance; a new row of racking can stop an exit being "two-directional". When you change the layout, measure the distance again along the actual walking route.
Emergency exit door opening direction and dimensions
The rules on doors in the two regulations complement each other:
- Opening direction: Under BYKHY Art. 47/2, exit doors in spaces with an occupant load of more than 50 people open in the direction of escape. Annex 1 Art. 10 of the workplace buildings regulation requires emergency exit doors to open outwards. Since this provision sets no headcount threshold, an inward-opening door marked as an emergency exit is a breach even in a small department.
- Door type: Sliding (track-mounted) or revolving doors may not be used as emergency exit doors (Annex 1 Art. 10); revolving doors and turnstiles do not count as exit doors either (BYKHY Art. 47/1). There must always be a separate personnel door next to a sectional or sliding goods door.
- Dimensions: The clear width of the door is at least 80 cm and its height at least 200 cm; the clear width of a single-leaf exit door is between 80 and 120 cm, and there are no thresholds in escape route doors (Art. 47/1, 47/4).
- Opening force: Doors are designed to be opened with a force of no more than 110 N (Art. 47/6).
Can an emergency exit be locked? The panic bar requirement
The short answer is no. Under BYKHY Art. 30/4, locks, bolts and similar components may not be fitted to exits in a way that prevents free escape; Art. 47/2 requires escape route doors to be opened by hand and not to be kept locked. The workplace buildings regulation also requires emergency exit doors not to be locked or fastened (Annex 1 Art. 10).
If the number of people on a floor exceeds 100, the doors of escape staircases, escape corridors and fire lobbies, and doors opening from the staircase to the safe area at ground level, are arranged so they can be opened in the direction of escape without using a door handle (Art. 47/5). In practice, this requirement is met with a panic bar opened by a horizontal push bar.
Escape routes narrowed by storage
An escape route is the whole of the continuous and unobstructed route from any point in the building to the street at ground level (BYKHY Art. 31/1). The workplace buildings regulation requires emergency exit routes and doors to be kept usable at all times (Art. 5) and that there is no obstacle in front of or behind doors that would prevent exit (Annex 1 Art. 10).
The situations that narrow routes on site are usually:
- Seasonal stock or returned goods being placed "temporarily" in the corridor.
- A pallet being left in front of the emergency exit door or on its outside.
- A forklift or pallet truck being parked in front of the exit.
- A shipping container, vehicle or snow piling up on the outside of the door.
- Extinguishers, hydrants or panels being blocked by materials.
The measure is simple but needs constant follow-up: mark escape routes with floor lines and "keep clear" hatching, add both sides of the door to the checklist and include the outside in the shift check. Before changing the racking layout, see the layout rules in our article on industrial racking safety.
Signage and emergency lighting
Escape route signs are white on a green background, sign height is not less than 15 cm and signs are placed 200–240 cm above the floor (BYKHY Art. 73). Emergency lighting comes on automatically when normal lighting fails and runs for at least 60 minutes, or at least 120 minutes if the occupant load exceeds 200; the illuminance along the centre line of the escape route is at least 1 lux (Art. 72). For the general rules on signs, see our article on health and safety signs.
Test the emergency lighting at regular intervals by cutting the power and record the result; drills are also the best opportunity to see the real condition of escape routes on site. For drill planning, see our article on the emergency drill, and for the evacuation plan and assembly point, our article on how to prepare an emergency plan.
The 2026 basic administrative fine for breaching the emergency and evacuation obligations in Art. 11–12 of Law No. 6331 is 22,194 TL for each obligation not fulfilled, applied every month the breach continues; for other items, see the OHS administrative fines tool. In emergency plan work, Bursa Sistemer OSGB checks escape routes by measuring them on site, and in fire training sessions it practises evacuation along the actual routes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an emergency exit door be locked?
No. Escape route doors must be openable by hand and must not be kept locked; locks, bolts and chains may not be fitted to an emergency exit. For security, a panic bar that opens from the inside without a key and an alarm contact can be used.
Can an emergency exit door open inwards?
No. The workplace buildings regulation requires emergency exit doors to open outwards; the fire regulation also requires exit doors in spaces with an occupant load of more than 50 people to open in the direction of escape.
What is the minimum width of an escape route?
No escape route may be narrower than 80 cm. If the total number of occupants on the floor is 50–500, an escape route must be at least 100 cm wide; for 501–2000 it must be 150 cm and for more than that 200 cm; if it is also used as a corridor serving rooms, at least 110 cm is required.
Does a sliding door count as an emergency exit?
No. Sliding or revolving doors may not be used as emergency exit doors. In departments with a sliding or sectional goods door, there must also be a separate outward-opening personnel door.
An emergency plan that really works on site, with scenarios, support teams, evacuation diagrams and an annual drill.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.