§ 278. Limitation of number of occupants. The number of persons who
may be employed in a factory building or portion thereof shall be
limited to such number as can safely escape from the building by the
exits provided in the building and shall not exceed the following:

1. In a building erected after October first, nineteen hundred and
thirteen, fourteen persons for every full twenty-two inches in width of
stairway provided for such floor and conforming to the requirements for
required exits, except as to extension to the roof. No allowance shall
be made for any excess in width of less than twenty-two inches.

2. In a building erected before October first, nineteen hundred
thirteen, fourteen persons for every eighteen inches in width of
stairway provided for such floor and conforming to the requirements for
required exits except as to extension to the roof. For any excess in
width of less than eighteen inches, a proportionate increase in the
number of occupants shall be allowed. If a stairway has winders a
deduction of ten per centum shall be made in computing the capacity of
such stairway.

3. On any floor which is more than ten feet from the one immediately
beneath, the number "fourteen" allowed in subdivisions one and two may
be increased respectively by one person for every sixteen inches over
ten feet between the two floors provided such stairways conform to the
requirements for required exits except as to extension to the roof.

4. In addition to the number of persons allowed in subdivisions one,
two and three, so many persons may be employed on any floor as can
occupy the stair halls, allowing five square feet of unobstructed floor
space per person where the stairways and stair halls are enclosed by
partitions as required by sections two hundred and seventy and two
hundred and seventy-one.

5. The number of persons permitted to be employed on any floor under
subdivisions one, two, three and four may be increased one hundred per
centum where there is maintained throughout the building an automatic
sprinkler system conforming to the requirements of section two hundred
eighty and to the rules of the board and where, if required by
subdivisions one and two of section two hundred seventy-nine, a fire
alarm signal system is maintained and fire drills are conducted.

6. On any floor at which a horizontal exit is provided so many persons
may be employed as can occupy the smaller of the spaces on either side
of the fireproof partitions or fire walls, or as can occupy the floor of
an adjacent building which is connected with such floor by openings in
the wall or walls between the buildings or by exterior balconies or
bridges in addition to the occupants of such connected floor in such
adjacent building, allowing five square feet of unobstructed floor space
per person. Openings constituting required exit doorways, or if such
exits are balconies or bridges, the openings leading thereto shall be of
sufficient aggregate width to allow eighteen inches in width of openings
for each fifty persons or fraction thereof employed on such floor in the
case of factory buildings erected before October first, nineteen hundred
and thirteen, and twenty-two inches in the case of factory buildings
erected after that date.

7. Where a floor is occupied by more than one tenant, the commission
may prescribe how many of the persons allowed to occupy such floor under
the provisions of this section may occupy the space of each tenant.

8. In every factory building the commissioner shall cause to be posted
in a conspicuous place in every stairhall and workroom, notices
specifying the number of persons that may occupy each floor thereof in
accordance with the provisions of this section. If any floor is occupied
by more than one tenant, such notices shall be posted in the space
occupied by each tenant, and shall state the number of persons that may
occupy such space. Every such notice shall bear the date when posted.