N.Y. Labor Law § 270: Construction of buildings erected after October first, nineteen hundred and thirteen

§ 270. Construction of buildings erected after October first, nineteen

hundred and thirteen. No factory shall be conducted in a building

erected after October first, nineteen hundred and thirteen, unless such

building shall conform to the following requirements:

1. Fireproof construction. All buildings more than four stories in

height shall be fireproof.

2. Roofs and walls. Roofs shall be covered either with incombustible

material, or tar and slag, or plastic cement or such other materials as

the board may approve, supported and laid according to its

specifications. Cornices shall be constructed of incombustible material.

All exterior walls within twenty-five feet of a non-fireproof building

shall be built of brick, stone, concrete, cinder or concrete block or

tile, terra cotta or other fireproof material acceptable to the state

department of labor.

3. Required exits. a. On each floor used as a factory there shall be

not less than two exits remote from each other, except that a single

exit may be accepted by the commissioner from a floor or other area, of

one thousand square feet or less, so long as no person is regularly

employed on such floor or other area. One such exit on each floor used

as a factory shall be a grade exit, an interior or exterior enclosed

fireproof stairway or ramp. The other shall be either such a grade exit,

stairway, ramp, or a horizontal exit, except that unenclosed exterior

stairways or ramps within the property line, extending up or down to

grade may be substituted for enclosed stairways from a floor immediately

above or below the ground or first floor. Elevated runways and working

platforms on which there is no regular or permanent occupancy shall not

be construed as floors.

b. No point in any floor above or below the ground or first floor

shall be more than one hundred feet distant from the entrance to one

such exit at that floor and in a sprinklered building more than one

hundred and fifty feet distant from such exit. No point in any ground,

or first floor shall be more than two hundred feet distant from an exit

from that floor and in a sprinklered building more than two hundred and

fifty feet distant from such exit; provided that no point in any ground,

or first floor of a building erected after July first, nineteen hundred

forty-eight, in which a factory is conducted, shall be more than one

hundred fifty feet distant from an exit from that floor and in a

sprinklered building more than two hundred feet distant from such exit.

c. In every building over one hundred feet in height there shall be at

least one exterior fireproof enclosed stairway which shall be accessible

from any point in the building.

4. Stairways and ramps. a. All required interior stairways and ramps

shall be constructed of incombustible material. Two hour fire test

enclosures shall be provided in buildings over two stories in height,

and in all subgrade stories. One hour fire test enclosures shall be

provided for all other stairs and ramps in buildings two stories or less

in height. All stairways and ramps shall have an unobstructed width of

at least forty-four inches throughout their length except that hand

rails may project not more than three and one-half inches into such

width. There shall be not more than twelve feet six inches in height

between successive landings. The treads shall be not less than ten

inches wide and the risers shall be closed and not more than seven and

three-fourths inches. No stairway with "winders" shall be permitted as a

required exit. The treads shall be constructed and maintained so as to

prevent persons from slipping thereon. Ramps used in place of required

exit stairways shall have a slope not exceeding one foot in eight feet

and shall comply with the requirements for stairways as to material,

width, enclosure, ventilation, landings and shall have non-slip

surfaces.

b. Every such required interior stairway shall be enclosed and

ventilated in a manner conforming to rules adopted by the board, except

that unenclosed stairways, no part of whose floor opening is more than

twenty feet from an open side of the mezzanine and which lead to the

floor immediately below, may be accepted from an unenclosed mezzanine

not exceeding twenty-five hundred feet in area, unless otherwise

specified by the board in its rules.

c. Exterior windows within twenty-five feet of a non-fireproof

structure shall be fire windows. Skylights, unless provided with wired

glass, shall have thereunder a shield of wire mesh in substantial frame

work.

d. Whenever safe egress may be had from the roof of a building

exceeding two stories in height to an adjacent structure all stairways

serving as required exits shall extend to the roof, provided that in

buildings over five stories in height at least one of the stairways

serving as required exits shall extend to the roof. All stairways

serving as required exits shall lead (a) continuously to the street, or

(b) to a fireproof passageway independent of other exits from the

building opening on a road or street, or (c) to an open area affording

unobstructed passage to a road or street, except that unobstructed

access to exits on the floor immediately below may be accepted for

stairways from a mezzanine floor unless otherwise specified by the board

in its rules. Provision shall be made for the adequate lighting of all

stairways, ramps and passageways by artificial light. Where more than

two stairways are provided in a building, not more than two may lead

through a common fireproof passage to a street. Required stairways

terminating at a floor below roof shall be connected at floor at which

such stairs terminate through a fireproof passage to at least one other

required stairway.

5. Doors and doorways. All doors at required exits or that lead to

required exits shall open outwardly. The width of the fireproof

passageways and exit doorways including stops, leading to the street at

the grade level shall be not less than the aggregate required width of

all stairways and ramps leading to them. The aggregate capacity of all

other required exit doorways shall be calculated on the basis of

twenty-two inches for each fifty persons or fraction thereof to be

served by such doorways, but no such doorway shall be less than

thirty-six inches in width.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to a building, in a

city having a population of more than one million, used exclusively by

one employer and in which not more than one-tenth of all the persons

employed therein are engaged in work for a factory and which, except for

such factory work, would be classified as a mercantile establishment.