Laws on Fire Exit Signs in the United Kingdom

by Darren Southgate

In the UK today there has been many regulations put into place with regards to health and safety not just in the workplace but in any place where large amounts of people will be. All businesses need today to ensure that they have the appropriate fire extinguishers and first aid kits available but also that fire exit signs that comply with health and safety legislation have been installed.

Every building where people will be whether the office, supermarket or shopping centre must have signs above the doors which will be used as the final point to exit the building from in the event of a fire. Also at all main entrances a fire sign should be situated along with them being placed above the doors inside the building which are part of the fire exit route should have them as well. Finally if any offices within the building have doors again a fire exit sign should be situated above them.

Today all signs used in the UK will have a symbol on them that clearly shows us that this is the point of exit in the event of a fire. In some cases the sign may well include wording as well saying that this is a fire exit. Plus in other cases there may be other signs used to denote where fire exits are.

In some buildings fire exit signs which show a floor plan may also be used and which clearly show the routes to be taken by people in order to evacuate the premises in the event of a fire. On these types of fire exit signs all routes to be taken to exit in the event of fire will be highlighted in red, whilst other routes used throughout the day normally will be highlighted in black.

The height at which the fire exit signs are installed is important and they should not be too high up. Also these signs must be clearly visible to everyone no matter what part of a room they are in. As a lot of companies do not have the funds to install emergency lighting they are instead opting to install photoluminescent fire exit signs instead.

In the UK today it is mandatory that all fire exit routes must have signs above them that clearly display what they are to be used for. It is also important that the signs that are used are ones that meet with current fire regulations. If a person or company is unsure what these are they should speak to their local fire officer or a professional fire risk assessor.

All fire exit signs can either have just a symbol or a symbol and wording on them. However, any signs which merely say “fire exit” on them will have to be placed because under current fire regulations these are no longer legal.

When it comes to fire exit signs in public buildings, offices and factories in the UK the most common type to be used is the one that depicts a person walking through a doorway. However, you need to be aware that other types of fire exit signs may be used and in Europe the one most commonly used shows a person walking towards a door rather than walking through it.

About the Author:
As one can see there is a bit of Legislation which one will need to think about when ordering fire exit signs for oner office or factory. one may also need to think about what other health and safety signs one will need to order in order to comply with various bits of UK legislation.

Published by: Darren Southgate on February 22nd, 2009 | Filed under Legal



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