What are fire safety signs?
Fire Safety Signs are designed to provide employees and visitors to your premises with important safety information on fire hazards, fire safety equipment, safety procedures and instructions to follow in the event of an emergency.
Everyone in a workplace must be made aware of fire exits, fire equipment and fire alarms. During an emergency situation, panic and confusion may cause irrational decision making. As a result, all premises should clearly mark escape routes and emergency exits.
Displaying clear, prominent and effective fire safety signs is vital to evacuate all employees and visitors as quickly and efficiently as possible without taking further, unnecessary risks.
Your premises may have frequent guests or visitors that do not know about the fire safety procedures in place. Having well placed and highly visible signage is important, as these signs will offer clear guidance during dangerous situations.
The installation and maintenance of fire safety signs is not only crucial to saving lives and protecting property, but to also meet legally required health and safety regulations.
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What are the regulations?
There are two important bits of legislation to be aware of when it comes to fire safety signs. These are the
Health and Safety (Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 and the
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005.
The
Health and Safety (Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 outline the correct types of signs, their applications and maintenance. It also provides guidance on the number and positioning of signs (and signalling) to be installed.
This depends on the extent of the hazards, dangers and zones that need to be covered on your premises. Each business has unique safety consideration when it comes to installing and maintaining signage.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 requires all businesses to appoint a responsible person who is accountable for fire safety. This involves regularly carrying out Fire Risk Assessments that will fully determine and identify the risks.
Once all risks have been carefully considered, measures should be put in place to minimise the likelihood and impact of a fire in order to keep people safe. This includes installation of fire safety equipment and fire safety signs.
What types of fire signage are there?
There are seven main categories of fire safety signs, most of which will be essential to your premises. However, the best way to fully determine the fire risks of your premises and the fire safety signs you need, is through a Fire Risk Assessment as required by the
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Fire action notices provide step-by-step instructions on what to do during a fire emergency, how to raise the alarm and the location of the nearest designed fire assembly point. Best practice guidelines recommend to place next to every fire alarm call point and at the final exit door.
Fire exit signs are a legal requirement. These signs provide crucial information on the location and identification of safe escape routes and emergency exits. Clearly display in prominent locations to aid fast and efficient evacuation.
Emergency exit signs provide clear and simple instructions on how to operate emergency exit doors during an emergency situation. All fire exits and escape routes should be kept free of obstructions.
Fire door signs ensure fire doors are easy to identify by providing clear instructions to ensure its effectiveness. Fire door signs also gives instructions on how fire doors should be maintained daily. All fire doors must be clearly marked and kept free of obstructions.
Fire alarm signs should be placed in a prominent location next to the fire alarm call point or button, and gives instruction on its activation. Best practice guidelines recommend to place next to a fire action notice.
Fire extinguisher signs help to identify life-saving equipment. These signs provide important information relating to the type of extinguisher and it's safe use on different classes of fire. Never attempt to put out a fire unless it's safe to do so and you have been trained.
Fire assembly point signs indicate the nearest, designated safe location outside your premises. This is where staff and visitors will safely gather gather in the event of an emergency evacuation or fire drill.
Where should fire safety signs be located?
The location of fire signage depends on the type of fire sign and it's message. For example,
Fire Exit Signs must be placed in prominent positions to indicate the safest direction of travel out of the building, whilst
Fire Extinguisher Signs should be placed on or near the applicable fire extinguisher.
It's important to ensure fire signage is highly visible at all times, this means kept free of any obstructions or placed in bad, hidden locations. It's equally important to ensure all fire signage (and signals) are maintained and replaced if no longer effective or broken.
Are fire signs required by law?
Fire Safety Signs are required by law.
The
Health and Safety (Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 outlines the standard and types of fire signs required, their placement and maintenance to ensure they are highly visible.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 highlights the need to appoint a responsible person to oversee and manage fire safety within commercial premises. This also includes a regularly carried out Fire Risk Assessment to fully determine and identify what your premises needs to do to prevent fire and keep people safe.
Failure to comply with these regulations will endanger the lives of your employees and visitors, and could leave you subject to legal action if found to be negligent in the event of a fire.
Fire safety signs codes and standards
All
Fire Safety Signs from Medisave comply with
BS EN ISO 7010 graphic symbols, safety colours and safety signs, which incorporates the most of the older, withdrawn (British Standards) including the BS5499-1:2002 standard.
Our fire signs also conform with The
Health and Safety (Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 &
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
What is BS EN ISO 7010?
The ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) 7010 is a set of guidelines for the shape, colour and graphical symbols required on all safety signs.
The graphic symbols are internationally recognised, meaning that safety signs are much more easily understood. For example, a safety sign in the UK will look exactly the same as a safety sign in another European Country.
Text only based safety signs are no longer sufficient or complaint under BS EN ISO 7010.
All premises required to display safety signs to convey safety information should be using BS EN ISO 7010 compliant symbols.
