Evacuation Movement in Photoluminescent Stairwells

An experiment was conducted in a 13-storey office building to assess the effectiveness of different installations of photoluminescent material (PLM) in stairwells. For the experiment four identical stairwells were used: three had different PLM installations and one had reduced lighting of an average of 37 lux. Video cameras and a questionnaire were used to gather data on the movement time and behavior of evacuees. Results from the study show that between 65 to 75% of the respondents felt comfortable going down the stairwells with PLM markings, with the visibility assessed as “good or excellent” in the two stairwells with PLM marking across each step. After the sound of the fire alarm, the average time taken by the first occupants to arrive at each stairwell was 1 min 7 s. Overall, the full evacuation lasted about 12 min. The results also indicate that during the busiest moment of the evacuation the mean speed of movement in the stairwells ranged between 0.40 and 0.66 m/s, while the density ranged between 1.56 and 1.60 p/m

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. Occupants’ judgment of the installations showed the importance of marking across each step of the stairwell.