ISO/TR 16738:2009

Fire-safety engineering - Technical information on methods for evaluating behaviour and movement of people

ISO/TR 16738:2009 is intended to provide information to designers, regulators and fire safety professionals on the engineering methods available for evacuation strategies in relation to the evaluation of life safety aspects of a fire safety engineering design. Information is presented on the evaluation, quantification and management of occupant behaviour, particularly escape behaviour, during a fire emergency.

ISO/TR 16738:2009 addresses the parameters that underlie the basic principles of designing for life safety and provides information on the processes, assessments and calculations necessary to determine the location and condition of the occupants of the building, with respect to time.

ISO/TR 16738:2009 provides information on methods for the quantification of the different aspects of human evacuation behaviour in a design context. It is intended for use together with the parts of ISO/TR 13387 and associated guidance documents and standards. These provide some of the information useful in performing a life safety evaluation and a means for incorporating the results of the life safety evaluation into the wider aspects of a fire safety engineering design.

The use of lifts (elevators) in emergency evacuations is not dealt with in ISO/TR 16738:2009.