Fire Safety Signs: Some of the Signage Required in Commercial Properties

January 12th, 2024

Last updated: March 20th, 2024

Fire safety is something that must be considered within every business. If you have customers and employees visiting your business then there is even more reason to be incredibly vigilant and make sure you don’t slip up.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which is also known as the ‘RRO’, is the key to understanding fire safety signs and responsibilities for employers and businesses, but the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations also apply. Read them completely or get help with your fire safety from professional consultants.

Purposes of Fire Safety Signs

Fire safety signs aren’t just something that is designed as red tape or a box-ticking exercise. It has legitimate and crucial purposes that are important for welfare.

The purposes include:

• Showing people what to do in the case of a fire, including the assembly point.
• Marking exit routes, doors, and fire-fighting equipment that can help emergency services.
• Preventing fires with danger signs for flammable items or other hazards, or asking people to refrain from smoking.

Types of Fire Safety Signs

Let’s dive into the actually types of fire safety signs and their requirements within businesses. These can be informed by your fire risk assessment, which is another legal requirement for those who are running business premises, which means it is crucial to ensure that you have a up-to-date and effective risk assessment.

Fire Exit Signs

These are green and white signs indicating the direction to the nearest fire exit. They are placed along escape routes and near fire exits to guide individuals toward safe exits.

Fire Exit Door Signs

Specific signs for fire exit doors, often with directional arrows. They are installed on or near doors designated as fire exits and they may also be required to show how a fire door opens, such as if it has a push mechanism or a bar.

Fire Assembly Point Signs

A fire assembly point sign identifies the designated area where people should gather after evacuating the building. As well as forming part of your fire training, this should be located in prominent outdoor areas to guide occupants to a safe assembly point.

Fire Action Signs

These give instructions on what action to take in the event of a fire. They are normally placed in strategic locations, such as near fire alarms, to inform occupants of the necessary steps to follow during a fire emergency such as how to trigger an alarm and where the nearest fire exit is. They may also have emergency numbers on them.

Fire Alarm Call Point Signs

This indicates the location of manual fire alarm call points. They should be paced near fire alarm call points to ensure they are easily identified and accessible.

Fire Extinguisher Signs

These identify the location of fire extinguishers and provides information about the types of extinguisher. They’re placed near fire extinguishers to guide individuals on proper usage.

Fire Hose Reel or Dry Riser Signs

Indicates the location of fire hose reels, they should be clearly visible near fire hose reel stations for easy identification. These are incredibly important for the emergency services.

Fire Safety Information Signs

These can provide general information about fire safety measures or equipment. They’re placed in areas where additional information is needed to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations.

No Smoking Signs

These prohibit smoking in certain areas, and are still important even though smoking indoors in public is prohibited. They’re particularly important in outdoor areas where smoking is not allowed, especially in locations posing a fire risk.

Emergency Lighting Signs

These show the location of emergency lighting. They are placed near emergency lighting units to ensure visibility during power cuts.

Warning Signs

These may be needed in locations where there are flammable materials, for instance, to alert people of the hazards that are in the area and ensure extra vigilance.

Conclusion

You have a legal obligation to provide the correct signage for your premises, based on the fire safety measures that are in place. They are often informed by a risk assessment, which should be tailored to your workplace and specific needs, as well as helping you to comply with the law, and will help you to ensure that everyone knows what they need to do if there is a fire (or to prevent one).

Working across Yorkshire, we cover North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and South Yorkshire and offer a fast, efficient response time to all queries, and offer fire protection services along with risk assessments. Contact us today for all planned, reactive maintenance or emergency call out. Call 01423 226578 or get in touch to see how Robinsons Facilities Services can help.