Potential Effects of Increased Individual Size on Stairway Egress Time

Abstract

In the United States and worldwide, the prevalence of overweight and obese individuals is on the rise. The potential effects of increased individual size on egress time of stairways are analyzed through the use of Pathfinder for one and three floor evacuation scenarios. Six different normal distributions of body size with mean occupant diameter increasing at five centimeter intervals are considered. It is found that as body size increases, the time necessary for egress increases by up to 62.7%. To better classify this information, stair width, number of exiting occupants, and evacuation floor height are examined in combination with increasing occupant size to gather the effect of secondary variables. Causes and influencing elements regarding the impact of increasing individual size within stair egress are proposed.