Fire exit signs are a crucial part of general fire safety within any premises, helping to ensure that all staff and visitors are able to be quickly and effectively directed to safety in the event of an emergency.

Regulations associated with fire exit signs state that it is an employer’s duty to make sure that there are adequate signs displayed where there could be a potential risk to an employee’s health and safety. There are several regulations in line with legislation that you must follow to display fire exit signs correctly.

Fire exit signs and the law

UK Building Regulation requirements state that fire exit signs should be placed on every fire escape door, escape window or other escape route from a fire. All fire exit signs should conform to BS 5499 Pt 4:2000 and Health & Safety 1996 Safety Signs & Signals Regulations. Wherever there is a potential fire risk to the health and safety of employees and staff, customers or general visitors within your building, fire exit signs must be displayed. If you have a fire risk assessment and it declares there is no significant risk, a fire exit sign may not be required. However, in most cases within a large building with a complex layout, all fire exit routes must be clearly signposted and marked, so that all people within the building can easily locate a safe exit if a fire were to happen.

The Building Regulations Act 1991 states that every exit or doorway that provides a means of escape in the event of a fire should display a fire exit sign that conforms to British Standard 5499 and the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals Regulations) Act 1996.

Why use fire exit signs?

If you own a commercial building, safety and fire exit signs are vital to ensure the safety of your customers, visitors, clients and employees. Your signs should also conform to legislation which states that all safety signs require illumination and must remain illuminated in the event of a power cut. This requirement can be met by using JALITE AAA photoluminescent signs. It is very important that signs meet this requirement to ensure the safety of people within the building.

Fire exit signs must be clearly visible at all times, in the event of either a power failure or a room that has filled with smoke, decreasing visibility. If your building requires emergency lighting, your fire exit signs should be illuminated, too. You can do this in the following ways:

• External lamps
• Internal lamps
• Self Illuminating fire exit signs

We are proud to be an authorised distributor of Jalite signs and provide safety Fire Exit Signs for the South of England including London, Berkshire, Bracknell, Windsor, Middlesex & Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex & Kent, West & East Sussex, Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, Newbury and the surrounding areas.

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