Where to Install Emergency Exit Signs in Your Building
Emergency exit signs and lighting are usually an afterthought until they are needed. This life saving equipment illuminates paths leading to a building's exit and ensures people understand what doors to use for evacuating safely from not only the exterior of the building but also individual rooms.
We all understand the importance of emergency exit signs and lights, but as a building owner do you know where exactly they need to be placed? From corridors to closet doors, it can get confusing on what signs are required and where you need egress markers. Whether you are in the midst of new construction or making extensive changes to your commercial building's interior, make sure you understand and follow the rules regarding emergency safety signage and lighting.
Emergency Exit Sign and Lighting Requirements
Several organizations have established codes and regulate everything surrounding emergency signage and lighting. This includes the installation, inspection and testing of the equipment. These regulatory bodies will need to be referenced in order to ensure your building is safe, up to code, and you don’t receive fines from the local fire marshal. They include:
● Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
● National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
● Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
● International Fire Code
● International Building Code
Besides these regulatory groups, local requirements also exist within your individual jurisdiction. Each state and sometimes city will have their own unique codes for emergency exit signs and lighting. It may sound overwhelming, but your local fire marshal or fire safety inspector will be able to easily guide you through what you can and can not do or use.
Emergency Exit Sign and Lighting Requirements
This article isn’t long enough to go into all the requirements for emergency exit signs and lightings, but you can visit the sites of the regulatory bodies mentioned above to get this information. You will want to keep in mind installation and location requirements. The requirements from OSHA 1910.37(b) and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code are a good place to start.
Where Should I Install Emergency Lighting?
Depending on the type of building you may have different requirements. In general, all commercial, industrial, institutional, educational, religious, and medical buildings require emergency egress markers or lighting of some nature.
Where to install the emergency lighting is usually the same throughout buildings. All exit routes and areas that have no windows larger than a broom closet must be illuminated with emergency backup lights. A great option is photoluminescent egress markers which do not require electricity and allow anyone with normal vision to see the path to the exit in case of power failure.
Where Should I Install Emergency Exit Signs?
Consider this information when installing your emergency exit signs:
● Doors exiting to a hallway leading to the main building exit must be marked clearly with a sign reading “Exit.”
● Exit signs must be illuminated at all times. If you are using electric powered signs they must include a backup battery. A great option is photoluminescent exit signs, which use ambient light requiring no electricity or battery backup.
● Exit doors can not be obscured with furniture, decor, equipment, etc.
● If the direction of travel to the exit is not obvious, you must install exit signs with arrows or directional arrows along the exit path to the nearest exit.
● Doors that are not an exit but could be easily mistaken for one need to have signage stating they are not an exit.
Jessup’s Emergency Exit Signs and Egress Markers
Jessup Manufacturing has been producing photoluminescent emergency exit signs and egress markers since 1992. If you have questions on your fire safety signage please contact us or shop online today.
