When there is an emergency, getting workers out of high-rise buildings poses special challenges. Preparing in advance is critical to the safety of employees. Here are some tips from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration:

• Don’t lock fire exits or block doorways, halls or stairways.
• Test regularly all back-up systems and safety systems, such as emergency lighting and communication systems, and repair them as needed.
• Develop a workplace evaluation plan, post it prominently on each floor, and review it periodically to ensure its effectiveness.
• Identify and train floor wardens, including back-up personnel, who will be responsible for sounding alarms and helping to evaluate employees.
• Conduct emergency evacuation drills periodically.
• Establish designated meeting locations outside the building for workers to gather following an evacuation. The locations should be a safe distance from the building and in an area where people can assemble safely without interfering with emergency response teams.
• Identify personnel with special needs or disabilities who may need help evacuating and assign one or more people, including back-up personnel, to help them.
• Ensure that during off-hour periods, systems are in place to notify, evacuate, and account for off-duty building occupants.
• Post emergency numbers near telephones.

Source: OSHA Fact Sheet, Evacuating High-Rise Buildings.