Whether at a restaurant or at the local gym, almost everyone has seen the signs designating “maximum occupancy”. However, not everyone knows about the full significance of these limits when it comes to fire safety. Generally, occupant load refers to the maximum number of people that should be in the building at any given time. This is not to be confused with occupancy itself, which describes what the building is used for, or maximum combustible load, which describes the amount of combustible material that can be present in a space. Instead, your occupant load has ramifications on the methods of egress required in your building, as well as some specifics about your fire alarm system. Read on to learn more about occupant load.
Occupant load is an important figure when it comes to getting people out of a building safely during an emergency. Having too many people inside a building during a fire can lead to crowded exits and difficulty escaping, especially if the occupants panic. For this reason, every building has a maximum occupancy, a limit to how many people a space allows at any one time. More specifically, the occupant load is the minimum number of people for which the capacity of means of egress must be provided. If there are additional means of egress and space, then your occupant load may be higher than your calculated number. As a direct consequence, your occupant load will influence your egress provisions in addition to your fire alarm system and vice versa.
Knowing how to determine occupant load is important for building managers, inspectors, and engineers. To determine your occupant load, you must first consider what your building, or spaces in your building will be used for—their occupancy. Next, you should use that occupancy to determine your occupant load factor. The NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, has an occupant load factor table (7.3.1.2) that contains the load factor for the relevant occupancies. Using this table and the sq. footage of your facility, you can roughly estimate the maximum occupant load factor for your building. For instance, you can divide the square feet of your building by your building’s load factor, rounded up, to determine your net occupant load for your facility.
Example of an auditorium with fixed-seating
For some jurisdictions, there is a distinction between your gross occupant load and your net occupant load. Your net occupant load refers to the part of your building that is the occupied area during normal operations, and is most related to what the building is used for. On the other hand, gross occupant load is applied to your entire floor area, including accessory areas, like corridors, stairways, ramps, closets, and bathrooms. These accessory areas are typically those that remain unoccupied during normal operations. And so, the maximum occupant load of a building can be either your gross or net load depending on your occupancy and your AHJ’s local code requirements. Frequently, your net load will be used for spaces with large numbers of people, like assembly areas and auditoriums.
One other distinction is between egress capacity and occupant load. While occupant load determines how many people the venue can safely accommodate, egress capacity is the number of people for which the egress system is credited for. Furthermore, egress capacity is a function of the number and available width of your egress components, such as doors, stairways, and walkways.
In terms of compliance, blocked exits, inoperable or misused fire doors, and absent signage are among the most prevalent fire code violations. While these issues are easily preventable, it’s crucial to remain vigilant about the maximum occupancy limits in your building. It’s also important to keep in mind that any alterations in the building’s use or renovations affecting the number of exits or the size of a space require a reevaluation and approval of the occupancy load and maximum occupancy limits by the AHJ.
The fire marshal will always assess whether the number of individuals in various areas stays within the occupancy load and the maximum limits for those spaces during an inspection. If you fail to comply, you risk receiving a hefty fine or a serious citation. Also, depending on your occupancy, you may be required to post signage of occupant load or your maximum occupancy.
Occupant load is an important concept when it comes to fire safety and code requirements. Depending on your occupant load, you may be required to install sprinklers, conduct certain risk analysis studies, and / or you may have to provide additional means of egress for your occupants. The specifics of your situation will depend on your jurisdiction and your AHJ. If you need help with any of these, FireAlarm.com offers consulting services for fire & life safety. Otherwise, if you are looking for systems design or system installation for your building, look no further than FireAlarm.com! We offer fire alarm system installation, inspection, and maintenance services for any occupancy.
