I get this, but I will counter with that from an in-universe standpoint, few scientists would accept unnecessary work hazards on what is already a very unsafe workplace. And the general Idea is that you're not supposed to use elevators in an emergency. It doesn't take long for someone to notice the workplace accident rate in Aurora, and start to look at how poor the safety is. At least let Xenobotany and xenobiology have access to EVA, so they have some way to escape, and maybe a electrically locked closet that releases when the power goes out, with the necessary tools to dismantle blast doors.
From an OOC standpoint, it is MISERABLE to play in the sub-level when the power goes out (I know this is kinda true for everyone when the power fails, but most other places you can at least walk around and meet up with other people for some coffee-and-feelings roleplay).
I hope I don't come of as confrontational, it's just a constant worry when playing in the sub-level, which kinda ruins the fun of playing xenobotany (so I'm definitely biased here), and I feel there are both IC and OOC reasons to make it slightly easier to escape it.