DURING UNRELATED MAINT ON AN MD80; TECHNICIANS DISCOVER ALL FOUR OVERWING EMER EXITS ARE DIFFICULT TO OPEN. PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED CONTRACT MAINT HAD INCORRECTLY INSTALLED THE INTERIOR SIDE PANELS SURROUNDING THE EXITS; CAUSING BINDING AND DIFFICULTY FOR REMOVAL.

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CONTRACT VENDOR MAINT. LAST MAINT CHECK AT ZZZ; NOV; 2004. DURING INVESTIGATION OF PAX RPTED FLUID LEAK ON UPPER SURFACE OF LEFT HAND WING; FOUND THAT ALL 4 OVERWING EMER ESCAPE HATCHES WERE VERY DIFFICULT TO OPEN. IT APPEARS THAT THE OVERWING HATCHES WERE INSTALLED BEFORE THE SIDEWALL PANELS; RESULTING IN THE SIDEWALL PANELS SEVERELY LIMITING THE REMOVAL OF ESCAPE HATCHES. THE LEFT HAND AFT HATCH REQUIRED USING EXCESSIVE FORCE TO REMOVE; CAUSING DAMAGE TO SIDEWALL PANELS. THE OTHER 3 ESCAPE HATCHES WERE NOT REMOVED AT THE GATE; HOWEVER THERE WAS AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO OPEN THEM. THE SIDEWALL PANELS WERE INSTALLED AFTER THE OVERWING EXITS; WITH NO OPERATIONAL CHECK OF THE HATCHES TO CHECK FOR INTERFERENCE WITH SIDEWALL PANELS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE OVERWING EMER EXITS WERE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO OPEN DUE TO INTERFERENCE WITH THE INTERIOR SIDEWALL PANELS. IT IS BELIEVED THE OVERWING EXITS WERE INSTALLED FIRST AND THEN THE SIDEWALL PANELS WERE INSTALLED WITH NO OPERATIONAL CHECKING OF THE EXIT DOORS. THESE ARE PLUG TYPE DOORS AND ARE FAA REQUIRED INSPECTION ITEMS.