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Unobstructed width of exit routes

Summary A company asked whether vending machines and coat racks obstructed its exit routes. OSHA said the described hallways appeared to comply because they retained more than 44 inches of unobstructed passage. The archived page notes a 2004 correction.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1976-02-17
Date issued
February 17, 1976
Status
Archived by the agency
OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy. The page notes a February 6, 2004 correction without identifying a replacement.
Status last verified October 10, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1910 Means of Egress Exit Routes
Source
View the official document

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The current status of this document is unclear
OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy. The page notes a February 6, 2004 correction without identifying a replacement. It may no longer reflect the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

February 17, 1976
Mr. John M. Reynolds, Manager
Occupational Safety and Health
General Electric Corporate Research
and Development Center
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Reynolds:
This is in response to your letter requesting clarification of [1910.37(a)(3)] requiring means of egress shall be maintained clear of all obstructions.
In our telephone conversation, you indicated that all passages were more than 44 inches unimpeded width and that vending machines, coat racks and similar items were only permitted where the hallways, passages and aisles exceeded the 44 inch width. It appears that compliance with OSHA part [1910.37(a)(3)] and [1910.36(g)(2)] has been achieved by maintaining unobstructed egress in excess of 44 inches.
Please feel free to contact us if there are further questions about OSHA.
Sincerely,
Alfred Barden
Regional Administrator
Occupational Safety and Health
[Corrected 2/6/2004]

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