The importance of fire safety and fire evacuation signs

Fire safety and fire evacuation signs should never be underestimated, playing a vital role in helping people escape a premises during an emergency. 

COVID-19 regulations made it even more important to invest in up-to-date fire evacuation signs, with many public spaces and businesses changing fire evacuation routes to comply with government guidance. Emergency exit sign sales reflect this, with post-pandemic growth predicted to reach around £762m by 2028, according to the Global Emergency Exit Sign Sales Market Report 2022.

In the UK, it’s mandatory to install visible and easy-to-find fire safety and fire evacuation signs and there’s never been a better time to make sure premises are thoroughly covered and prepared for an emergency. 

Here, we outline the key priorities to consider ahead of installing fundamental fire safety signage in a premises.

Why are fire safety and fire evacuation signs important?

Fire safety and fire evacuation signs are devices in residential, commercial, industrial, and public premises that clearly explain the location of the nearest emergency exit in case of a fire. Use of these signs is essential in helping people escape an emergency incident – they work to provide information, guidance, and reassurance throughout the fire exit route.

As well as safely pointing people towards the nearest escape routes and fire exits with continued directional arrows and rapidly walking figure symbols, fire safety and evacuation signs also give guidance on how to use fire safety equipment in an emergency. 

Having insufficient fire evacuation signs in place can put lives and property at risk. Not only that, a responsible person can face criminal prosecution if laws surrounding fire safety signs are not followed correctly.

What legislation applies to fire safety and fire evacuation signs?

All public premises must display safety signs to point people towards fire-fighting equipment, emergency routes, and emergency exits. To protect lives and avoid prosecution, it’s crucial that the placement of fire evacuation signs and other fire safety signage follow the requirements set out in two main pieces of fire safety legislation: 

• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) 
• The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996

The RRFSO provides the backdrop of all fire safety laws in the UK, while the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 refers specifically to safety signage. The latter states that fire safety signs and signals are required where, despite putting in place all relevant measures, a significant risk to the health and safety of employees may still exist. While certain signage comes with standard requirements, fire exit signage is site specific to account for the fact that no two layouts are ever the same.

Which fire safety and fire evacuation signs are required?

Fire safety and fire evacuation signs required on a premises depend on the layout of a building, the nature of its use, and the fire-fighting equipment needed. A thorough fire risk assessment will outline all of this, but there are four main applications of fire safety signage in the UK:

1. Fire action notice – fire action signs provide clear step-by-step safety instructions for people to follow if a fire breaks out, from sounding the alarm to reporting to the assembly point. Fire alarm call point signs can show building users where to raise the alarm in an emergency, while staff fire action signs can also be displayed in workplaces.
2. Fire evacuation signs – these should mark fire exit routes, fire doors, and fire assembly points, showing building users the safest and quickest routes to escape a fire. 
3. Fire safety signs – these show the location of fire-fighting equipment such as fire extinguishers (including informative signage on fire extinguisher IDs), fire hose reels, and fire blankets, as well as how to use them.
4. Warning signs – these are prohibition safety signs to prevent a fire from breaking out such as ‘Danger’ and ‘No Smoking’ signs.

Those responsible for taking care of a building may be familiar with standard fire exit signs, but since no two building layouts are ever the same, all fire evacuation signs are site-specific and must be assessed on an individual basis.

Fire safety and fire evacuation signs that meet legislations

For emergency escape, fire safety signs for doors, exits, routes, and equipment are required by law to be square or rectangular in shape with a green background and white symbols and pictograms. Furthermore, the green safety colour should cover at least 50% of the surface of the sign. All fire safety and fire evacuation signs  at CheckFire are photoluminescent – a quality standard set to ensure fire safety signs are still visible even if a fire were to break out and electrical lights went out. 

To explore our best-selling range of photoluminescent fire safety and fire evacuation signs, including signage in stylish Contempo finishes, download our fire safety signs brochure. You can also visit our resource centre and sign up to our newsletter for the latest fire safety news, insights, and information.