Given an occupant load of 400 people for a specific floor area, and a code requirement of 0.2 inches of exit width per occupant, what is the minimum total required exit width in inches?

To determine the minimum total required exit width, we multiply the occupant load by the code-mandated exit width requirement per occupant. The occupant load refers to the maximum number of people that a specific floor area is designed to safely accommodate at any given time, determined by building codes based on the area's use. In this case, the occupant load is 400 people. The code requirement of 0.2 inches of exit width per occupant specifies the minimum amount of unobstructed horizontal exit pathway width that must be provided for each person. This factor ensures adequate egress capacity. Therefore, the calculation is 400 occupants multiplied by 0.2 inches per occupant, which equals 80 inches. This result, 80 inches, represents the minimum total required exit width, meaning the aggregate sum of the effective clear widths of all exit components, such as doors and corridors, that must be provided to serve that specific floor area to ensure safe and efficient evacuation.