Evacuation route diagrams are informational signs used to advise building occupants, be they employees, residents, patients, or visitors, of the best route(s) to egress the building, or to temporary shelter from their location. It is a pictorial representation of the building/floor layout showing the closest such route from a given point in the building. This standard will provide guidelines that can be used to provide uniformity in the development and use of these signs. Consistency in design and placement of these signs can serve to increase familiarity and comprehension as well as reduce confusion, thus improving the ability of occupants to egress from the facility more easily and quickly in an emergency.

Occupancies where standardization of ERDs would be most beneficial include those which frequently have occupants unfamiliar with the facility, such as hotels, places of assembly, offices, healthcare facilities, and multiple occupancy buildings.