Understanding exit sign requirements can save more than a petty fine from a fire marshall, and it can save lives. Fire safety is always a top priority in any building, and exit signs are critical in ensuring everyone can safely evacuate in an emergency.

Exit signs and entry/exit ways have specific requirements under the law. The exit sign requirements ensure that your exit equipment helps guide people to the appropriate fire exit in emergencies.

This guide will examine the common laws and regulations you must know when managing a facility with exit signs. We’ll also discuss when the exit sign is required and what you need to know about emergency exits.

What Are Exit Signs, And Why Are They Important

If you’ve ever been trapped in a burning building, you know the exit sign is your best friend. Exit signs are required by law, and it’s the responsibility of both building managers and occupants to ensure they’re working at all times. As this article will explain, there are many reasons why an exit sign can fail and how to make sure your exit sign is adequately inspected.

The International Fire Code (IFC) describes the exit sign requirements for all exits in all commercial buildings. The IFC is a model code that many states and jurisdictions have adopted. The purpose of the IFC is to establish minimum requirements for fire safety in buildings.

Exit signs are an essential part of a building’s fire safety system. They help people find their way to the nearest exit in an emergency. Exit signs must be illuminated so people can easily see them during a power outage or other emergency.

There are two types of exit signs: incandescent and photoluminescent. Incandescent exit signs use a light bulb to illuminate the sign. Photoluminescent exit signs use a material that glows in the dark to illuminate the sign.

The Importance of The Exit Sign

Exit signs are essential in workplaces for several reasons. First, they help occupants find their way to the nearest exit in the event of an emergency. Second, they provide a light source during a power outage. Third, they help identify the difference between non-exit doors and exit doors, which can be confusing in a panic, like when there is a fire and smoke.

Most countries require exit signs by law in all commercial buildings. The IFC requires facilities to utilize illuminated exit signs so people can easily see them in a power outage or other emergency. Exit signs must consist of materials that are non-combustible and heat resistant.

In a fire, occupants will need to evacuate the building quickly. Exit signs help them find their way to the nearest exit. When smoke fills an area, there isn’t much time to start scanning the room for dull signs of a door. A lighted area and sign are a necessity for life safety and are exit sign requirements you should not ignore.

In a power outage, exit signs provide a light source so people can find their way to the nearest exit. Fire exit signs typically run using a backup battery power source, so the emergency lighting requirements are still met when the power is out.

Did you know there’s a process for auditing a building’s safety and inspecting the emergency lighting and exit signs? Using a Fire Exit Inspection Checklist is one method organizations use to ensure they maintain the proper exit route provisions within their workplace.

Exit Sign Requirements

Every exit that people may use to escape a fire is technically a fire exit. International building code stipulates that fire exits must have proper signage to denote their intent. Similarly, emergency lights are a requirement. The emergency lighting systems must have the ability to create an illuminated surface around the exit and ensure that the continuous and unobstructed path to the door is adequately lighted for safe passage.

Depending on the size of the facility, the building capacity, and other factors, electroluminescent lighting might be required over self-luminous signs like those using reflective paints or glow-in-the-dark paints.

General exit sign requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The sign must be lit so visibility is possible even in the case of power failure in the building.
• The sign must be visible halfway between the exit and the next closest fire exit. In other words, if a person is halfway between two entrances, the signs of each must remain clear and legible. If obstructed, see the next point.
• Where obstructions occur, secondary exit signs are required. For example, internal walls, hallways, and even cubicle walls might obstruct the view of a fire exit sign in office spaces. Thus, secondary signs need installation to guide people in case of emergency further.
• Exit signs are an essential component of the emergency exit. Other components like the door, exit devices, walkway, and more are included in creating a safe working environment. Consider using a Fire Exit Inspection Checklist or similar auditing tool to ensure all your bases are covered. And remember to check with local authorities to ensure you’re protecting your legal requirements for your local jurisdiction.
• Signs must have plainly legible letters and an adequate contrast ratio between letters and backgrounds. The fire exit sign is a team member’s best resource when finding a sign indicating an escape route.

Further Exit Sign Requirements Resources

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration – Maintenance, safeguards, and operational features for exit routes.
• California Department of Industrial Relations – §3216. Exit Signs.
• ICC Digital Codes – Section 1013 – Exit Signs
• 1st Reporting – A Fire Exit Inspection Checklist
• 1st Reporting – A Fire Drill Checklist

The Exit Sign Inspection Process

Exit signs are required by law for every exit route. They provide team members with life safety knowledge of the exit route and the nearest exit and provide emergency lighting when power outages occur. They’re the responsibility of both building managers and occupants to ensure that they’re in working order. Here, we’ll explain how to ensure your exit sign is appropriately inspected.

Step 1: Get a Fire Exit Inspection Checklist or use an app like the 1st Reporting app from Google Play or The Apple App Store.

Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the components of the doors at your facility.

Step 3: Contact local building code enforcement to determine the regulations in your area (they may change slightly from state to state, province, or territory).

Step 4: Inspect all exits for exit signs. Ensure the signs meet the requirements in your area.

For reference:

• In The United States – OSHA – Design, and construction requirements for exit routes.
• In The United Kingdom – HSE – Safety signs and signals. The Health and Safety Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations
• In Australia – WORKSAFEACT – The Work Health and Safety Commissioner – Signage
• In Canada – CCOHS – Fire Protection
• Or, use the CodeFinder® provided by the NFPA to find your exit requirements in your country/state/province/territory.

Step 5: Document each exit route door, sign, emergency lights, and other items noted on your Fire Exit Inspection Checklist or another appropriate auditing document, template, or incident/audit reporting app.

Step 6: Any missing, broken, or otherwise not working signs need replacement or repair. Make a note in your 1st Reporting app (or inspection document) that a repair is required. If using the app, try setting up a maintenance repair request form in the app with a custom notification to the maintenance manager. That kind of automation is only possible with a robust app like 1st Reporting and obviously will require much more effort if using a paper template.

How To Make Sure Your Exit Sign Is Inspected Properly

Try our downloadable Fire Exit Inspection Checklist here to ensure your team stays on track during your inspection.

The only way to know that your exit routes and signs are appropriately inspected is to ensure that your inspector is well-versed in the regulations of the National Fire Protection Association and other bodies.

Ensuring inspectors know how your emergency lighting systems work is essential to accurate auditing results. The inspector may need to change the emergency exit lighting modes or know if the light is internally illuminated or if it runs on a regular power supply or has a backup battery.

The inspector must know all of the critical features of the emergency lighting systems to inspect the unit equipment properly. After all, internally managed inspections can help to provide a clear path for a local fire marshal who decides to spring a surprise inspection on your organization.

What To Do If There’s A Problem With Your Sign

There are several reasons why an exit sign can fail:

1. The power can go out. Exit signs must have a backup power source to continue illuminating even if the power goes out.
2. The batteries can die. Exit signs must have working batteries to continue illuminating even if the power goes out.
3. The bulbs can burn out. Exit signs must have working bulbs to continue to illuminate even if the power goes out.
4. The sign can become obscured. Exit signs must be unobstructed so that they are visible at all times.
5. The sign can be damaged. Exit signs can face damage by weather, accidents, or deliberate acts of vandalism.

Remember to always set up temporary emergency lighting in the area for safe exit access. Emergency lights are vital for maintaining some sort of normal lighting during a power failure so people can escape under the normal vision and do not require flashlights or other devices.

If your exit sign is not working correctly, you should immediately report the problem to your building manager or the maintenance manager (depending on your organization). When an exit sign malfunctioning, it no longer meets its requirements in most areas. Depending on the issue, you may need to replace the fixture and ensure the workplace safety is immediately apparent in the interim for occupational health and safety.

Documenting exit sign failure is easy if you’re already using the 1st Reporting app. Testing and inspecting exit signs in the dark (when you cut the power to test exit devices and emergency lighting) is challenging if you don’t have a reliable light source.

Using the 1st Reporting app on a smartphone or tablet to complete your audit is easy to ensure you’re following the standards of the national fire protection association or other regulators.

Remember that, at the very least, you want to make a temporary sign and affix it to the door. Due diligence requires that you make your best effort to solve the health and safety concern as quickly as possible.

The Consequences Of Not Having A Proper Exit Sign

If your workplace does not have a proper exit sign on an exit door, you may be subject to fines from the fire marshal. Sometimes, you may even be closed down until the problem is fixed. It’s essential to ensure that your workplace has a proper exit sign on every exit door so that you can safely evacuate in an emergency.

Exit signs are required by law because they help people find their way to safety in an emergency. For this reason, it’s imperative to follow the exit sign requirements in your area. If you don’t have a good exit sign, you may be putting yourself and your employees at risk.

During a five-year report period of 2007 to 2011, the NFPA noted an average of 3340 office fires recorded by the NFPA, resulting in over $112 million in direct property damage annually, not to mention the approximate four deaths and over 40 injuries annually in the US. And that’s only in office fires and doesn’t include industrial fires.

Death is the ultimate bad result of not following international building codes for exit signs and emergency lighting. That’s why it’s vital to fully understand how to properly implement a life safety code and follow exit sign regulations.

Are you ready to start a better way of reporting exit sign issues at your facility?