The minimum corridor width is determined by which factors?

• A. Type of occupancy only
• B. Number of people and the type of occupancy
• C. Type of occupancy and type of construction
• D. Number of people only

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that safe egress relies on how many people might be moving through a corridor and what kind of activity is going on in that space. The required width isn’t fixed by construction alone; it depends on the anticipated occupant load and the type of occupancy because different spaces have different flow patterns, densities, and risks during evacuation.

Occupant load tells you how many people may be in the space at once, which drives how much room is needed for people to move, pass each other, and evacuate without bottlenecks. The type of occupancy defines how people move in that space, how long they stay, and what hazards exist; for example, an assembly area with large crowds has different egress needs than a small office or a corridor serving patients and staff in a hospital wing. Together, they determine the minimum corridor width.

Construction type matters for fire resistance and structural aspects, but it doesn’t set the minimum width by itself. It influences other design features, yet the corridor width requirement is based on how many people might use it and how that occupancy behaves during normal use and evacuation.

So the correct idea is that both the number of people and the type of occupancy determine the minimum corridor width.