29 CFR 1910.37: Maintenance, safeguards, and operational features for exit routes
The official text is on the eCFR. This page maps how the section is organized, quotes the paragraphs our ASP, CSP practice questions are built on, and gives free questions you can try. Text below is quoted from the eCFR, current as of 2026-10-14; the section was last amended 2017-01-01.
How 29 CFR 1910.37 is organized
- (a)4 paragraphs
- (b)7 paragraphs
- (c)1 paragraph
- (d)3 paragraphs
- (e)1 paragraph
Paragraphs our practice questions cite most
Counted across the 7 live PassCited questions built on this section. This reflects our question bank, not the real exam.
“(2) During repairs or alterations, employees must not occupy a workplace unless the exit routes required by this subpart are available and existing fire protections are maintained, or until alternate fire protection is furnished that provides an equivalent level of safety.”
“(3) Exit routes must be free and unobstructed. No materials or equipment may be placed, either permanently or temporarily, within the exit route. The exit access must not go through a room that can be locked, such as a bathroom, to reach an exit or exit discharge, nor may it lead into a dead-end corridor. Stairs or a ramp must be provided where the exit route is not substantially level.”
“(5) Each doorway or passage along an exit access that could be mistaken for an exit must be marked “Not an Exit” or similar designation, or be identified by a sign indicating its actual use (e.g., closet).”
“(3) Employees must not be exposed to hazards of flammable or explosive substances or equipment used during construction, repairs, or alterations, that are beyond the normal permissible conditions in the workplace, or that would impede exiting the workplace.”
Free practice questions on 29 CFR 1910.37
Question 1
A contractor is altering an office wing that employees will keep using. The required exit routes will stay open and unobstructed throughout the work. However, the work requires shutting off the wing's existing fire sprinkler system for two weeks. The manager says employees can stay because the job is temporary and the exits remain usable. Which action does the standard require?
Show answer and source
Answer: A. Employees may keep occupying the wing only if alternate fire protection that provides an equivalent level of safety is furnished while the sprinklers are off.
During alterations, employees may not occupy the workplace unless the exit routes are available and existing fire protections are maintained, or until alternate fire protection with an equivalent level of safety is furnished. Open exits alone are not enough once the sprinklers are disabled, and notifying employees does not replace equivalent protection.
Answer A rests on
29 CFR 1910.37(d)(2)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“(2) During repairs or alterations, employees must not occupy a workplace unless the exit routes required by this subpart are available and existing fire protections are maintained, or until alternate fire protection is furnished that provides an equivalent level of safety.”
Question 2
A company is renovating the east wing of its occupied office building. The contractor proposes to shut off the existing sprinkler zone and close the east stairwell for three weeks while employees continue working on that floor. No temporary fire protection is planned, and the other stairwell is open but not enough to serve the area. Which action is required under the exit route standard before employees may keep occupying that floor?
Show answer and source
Answer: C. The required exit routes must be available and existing fire protections maintained, or alternate fire protection providing an equivalent level of safety must be furnished, or employees must not occupy the floor.
The standard bars employees from occupying a workplace during repairs or alterations unless exit routes are available and existing fire protections are maintained, or equivalent alternate fire protection is provided. An operable alarm, signage, or a limited fire watch does not replace the closed exit route and disabled sprinklers.
Answer C rests on
29 CFR 1910.37(d)(2)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“(2) During repairs or alterations, employees must not occupy a workplace unless the exit routes required by this subpart are available and existing fire protections are maintained, or until alternate fire protection is furnished that provides an equivalent level of safety.”
Where it shows up in exam prep
Find out which regulations you'd miss
Other Part 1910 sections
- 29 CFR 1910.1020: Access to employee exposure and medical records
- 29 CFR 1910.1030: Bloodborne pathogens
- 29 CFR 1910.1053: Respirable crystalline silica
- 29 CFR 1910.106: Flammable liquids
- 29 CFR 1910.119: Process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals
- 29 CFR 1910.120: Hazardous waste operations and emergency response
This is a study aid, not legal advice or an official interpretation. Always check the current eCFR text. Original practice questions, not real exam items. PassCited is not affiliated with or endorsed by BCSP.