+ - Obstacles Near Emergency Exits Speed Evacuation->
Submitted
by
BuzzSkyline
BuzzSkyline writes "Despite fire codes that require emergency exits be clear of obstacles, some types of obstacles actually speed evacuation. The counterintuitive conclusion resulted from a series of experiments performed at a TV studio in Japan. Researchers from the University of Tokyo asked 50 volunteers to exit the studio through a narrow door. Video tapes of the experiments show that that people made it out quickest when a pole was placed about 30 degrees to one side of the exit. The lead researcher believes an obstacle reduces jamming and friction among people in crowds by decreasing conflicts as the crowd presses toward the exit. A paper describing the researcher is schedule to appear in the journal Physical Review E in September, but a preprint is available on the Physics Arxiv."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Obstacles Near Emergency Exits Speed Evacuation More Login
Obstacles Near Emergency Exits Speed Evacuation