EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS
EMERGENCY SIGNS: A GO TO GUIDE
Health & Safety Training Ltd take a closer look at the most important emergency evacuation signs, offering advice for employers on how to keep their staff safe in the case of an emergency.
While stringent planning and full risk assessments, as required by law, go some way towards preparing a workplace and its staff for the possibility of an emergency evacuation, there is always the chance that prearranged evacuation procedures may not be viable. In these scenarios, there must be sufficient instruction as to where and how to evacuate a premises, making well positioned, easy to understand emergency evacuation signs important.
These signs are also referred to as ‘safe condition signs’, and are green in colour to indicate exit procedures. Red signs often indicate fire equipment that can be employed in the event of an emergency, such as alarms or extinguishers.
The installation and upkeep of emergency evacuation signs falls under legislation relating to the wider use of signage in the workplace - the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996.
This legislation oversees the standardisation of emergency signs, including prohibition, warning and directive signage, and determines which are mandatory within commercial properties.
So, which signs are the most important in an emergency evacuation situation?
EMERGENCY EXIT
In the event of an evacuation, knowing where the assembly point is located is vital for ensuring a safe escape, as well as for making yourself known to those taking attendance.
The most common and self-explanatory signage required in the event of an evacuation are those that demonstrate the route that should be taken in order to exit the premises safely.
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Often, emergency assembly point signs are only required when the assembly point cannot be seen from the exit, but can be useful in all situations in order to avoid uncertainty.
Emergency exit signs have changed in design over the years. While many countries employed text to communicate the meaning of the sign, this has now been replaced solely by imagery, creating a more universally understandable sign.
In the UK, both of the below signs are used - the ‘Euro Sign’ with no text, and the BS 5499-1 sign with the word “exit” visible - while abroad it is largely just the former, which was introduced in the early 1990s by the EEC Directive.
The direction of the arrows on emergency exit signs should clearly indicate the safest direction of evacuation, with up arrows indicating straight on.
Emergency exit signs will need to be illuminated by an alternative power source in order to provide effective guidance should there be a failure of mains power during a fire or excess smoke reducing visibility, and by law one should be placed in every doorway that constitutes as a means of escape.
EMERGENCY ASSEMBLY POINT
Details of the location of the assembly point should be printed clearly on a Fire Action Notice, which is to be placed next to manual call points. This is a minimum requirement by law, with many premises also encouraged to include a detailed map to demonstrate the escape route. This does not constitute an emergency assembly point sign, however, which will still need to be present between the point of exit and the point of assembly.
DO NOT USE LIFT IN EVENT OF FIRE
Many will be well aware of this basic fire safety direction, but may not understand quite how serious the consequences can be if it is ignored.
In the event of a fire, many larger premises will have the electrics automatically shut down, leading to the potential for becoming stuck within the lift for those attempting to escape in that manner. Getting trapped in a lift is potentially fatal during a blaze, with smoke inhalation and heat being very real dangers - lift shafts can produce a chimney effect that draws smoke upwards.
Many Do Not Use Lift signs will provide an alternative direction, such as indicating a nearby staircase that should be used in an evacuation situation.
There are however certain models of lift that are specially designed to be used in the evacuation of those who are less physically able.
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