|
You must decide which of the two styles you want to use, but the European Format is the one that is preferred and is commonly available (including for emergency lighting units). You must not mix the styles of sign in the same building to prevent people getting confused in an emergency.
Location
All areas of your Church or Place of Worship need to have fire exit signs installed, especially areas that are used by the public or if there could be confusion as to which doors are exits.
To start with, place a sign over every 'final exit' door like the main entrance or a fire exit door. These signs would normally not have an arrow, but could include words to prevent confusion.
Place signs over every exit door in each main room in the building. There is no need to put signs in small rooms like toilets and offices where there is only one exit and in areas where the public are not normally admitted and the exit route is obvious. These signs should have a down arrow (or optionally an up arrow for the British Standard sign type).
Signs must not be too high and need to be clearly seen in the room. It is normal practice to fit them just above the exit door, at a maximum of 2.5 metres from the floor. Signs can be fitted onto walls by screws or self-adhesive fixings. In some cases, it might be necessary to suspend exit signs on chains so that they can be seen or to protect historic building features. Signs must not be placed high up, as they will not be seen, especially if the room is smoke filled.
In some situations, signs may be fitted onto doors, but this should be avoided because the sign might be hidden by the open door. It might be a useful option to place a sign on an exit door in addition to another sign above the door, if the height of the door is above 2.5 metres.
If you do not have any fixed emergency lighting installed, it might be worth considering using 'photoluminescent' signs, which glow-in-the-dark. Installing these signs is not a substitute for emergency lighting, but might be used in addition to emergency torches.
Other signs might be needed to tell people that they need to change direction or move along a corridor. In these cases, a sign with a directional arrow (left or right) needs to be used. If you have long corridors, it is a good idea to place exit signs at eye level at regular intervals along the length. At stairs, it would be usual to use a sign with a 45 degree arrow (such as a down and right arrow).
It is a useful check to make sure that you can always see the next exit sign from any point as you move along the exit route.
Temporary signs
In some situations, especially listed buildings, it might not be possible to fit exit signs because they will affect the historic features of the building. In these cases, it might be acceptable to use temporary signs for special events or situations where additional exit routes are needed.
Signs may be propped over doors (providing there is no danger of them falling away) or fixed using small fixings that cannot be seen normally (like small nails). Signs can be suspended from wires or chains from features like pipes and electrical trunking. Alternatively, a small stand can be made or bought that the sign can be fixed onto - the stand it placed by the exit when it is needed, however the sign can easily be moved about so care is needed to make sure that it is always in the correct place.
Signs can be removed if they need to be, but they should be in place for as much of the time as possible, especially where the public use the building. Be aware that there is an absolute requirement under regulations to have fire exit signs and the use of removable signs is not normally desired.
Keep clear signs
It is essential that fire exit doors are not blocked and are kept clear, usually for several metres outside the door. It is common to use a sign on the outside of fire exit doors to remind people of this. The sign would usually be a "mandatory" sign (a blue circle) and would typically read "Fire exit keep clear". Please see our Safety Signs page for more information on safety signs.
Some signs are available that include both the exit sign and a keep clear sign in two sections: one green (the exit sign) and one blue (the keep clear sign). These can be used inside - under no circumstances should a green exit sign be placed on the outdid of a fire exit door as this could lead to confusion in an emergency.
|
