An exit sign is a pictogram or short text in a public facility (such as a building, aircraft, or boat) denoting the location of the closest emergency exit to be used in case of fire or other emergency that requires rapid evacuation. Most relevant codes (fire, building, health, or safety) require exit signs to be permanently lit at all times.
Exit signs are intended to be absolutely unmistakable and understandable to anyone. In the past, this generally meant exit signs that show the word "EXIT"[2] or the equivalent in the local language, but increasingly, exit signs around the world are in pictogram form, with or without supplementary text.[3]
History
A dim early exit sign lit by an incandescent bulb
An exit sign with a design that is easier to see, even in poor visibility, emergency lighting immediately above
Exit sign design used in the Soviet Union, as regulated by the state standard GOST 12.4.026-76, predating the Yukio Ota's exit sign by 3 years
Exit sign standardized by the Chinese standard GB 2894-1988
Exit sign layout according to NFPA 170
Early exit signs were generally either made of metal and lit by a nearby incandescent light bulb[4] or were a white glass cover with "EXIT" written in red, placed directly in front of a single-bulb light fixture. An inherent flaw with these designs was that in a fire, the power to the light often failed. In addition, the fixtures could be difficult to see in a fire where smoke often reduced visibility, despite being relatively bright. The biggest problem was that the exit sign was hardly distinguishable from an ordinary safety lighting fixture commonly installed above doors in the past. The problem was partially solved by using red-tinted bulbs instead.
Better signs were soon developed that more resembled today's modern exit sign, with an incandescent bulb inside a rectangular-shaped box that backlit the word "EXIT" on one or both sides. Being larger than its predecessors, this version of the exit sign solved some of the visibility problems. The sign was still only useful as long as mains power remained on.
As battery-backup systems became smaller and more efficient, some exit signs began to use a dual-power system. Under normal conditions, the exit sign was lit by mains power and the battery was maintained in a charged state. In the event of a power outage, the battery would supply power to light the sign. Early battery-backup systems were big, heavy, and costly.[4] Modern systems are lightweight, can be installed virtually anywhere, and are integrated into the fixture, rather than requiring a separate box. As batteries improved, so did the amount of time that a fixture could remain lit on batteries.
While exit signs were more visible due to large letters, even a 60-watt incandescent bulb shining through a plastic or glass cover could appear somewhat dim under certain conditions. Incandescent bulbs are still in use because they are cheap and common, even though they use more electricity and require more or less frequent replacement. Incandescent bulbs lit 24/7 have a greatly extended lifespan compared to ones that cycle on and off. When used in exit signs, they are often operated at a lower voltage than rated, which further extends their lifetime, at the trade-off of reduced light output and greatly reduced energy efficiency.
With the development of fluorescent lamp and light-emitting diode technology, exit signs could be made even brighter to compensate for the limited visibility in a fire situation, while using less electricity. Fluorescent lamps are used in the same way as incandescent bulbs, back-lighting both sides of an exit fixture from within. LED signs combine a large number of bright light-emitting diodes to illuminate the sign from inside. An exit sign is constantly lit; fluorescent bulbs need to be changed more often than LEDs, although the absence of frequent on/off cycles extends the life of fluorescent lamps significantly. Generally, LEDs have a very long life, and may last for 10 years or more of continuous use, although their brightness may gradually diminish.
Radio-luminescent and phosphorescent signs that require no electricity have also been developed, and have been used since the 1970s. Radio-luminescence uses the radioactive decay of tritium gas to illuminate the sign,[5] while phosphorescence uses light-emitting pigments to glow in the dark. While both of these types of signs meet California State Fire Marshal standards, electricity is used in the vast majority of signs.
Modern installations
Old sign still used in some old Hong Kong buildings
Variation of the common Exit sign used in British Standard BS 5499:2002, this version is recommended for internally luminous and photoluminescent signs, however exit signs that are surface lit, non luminous exit signs are recommended to use a design almost identical to the one standardized by ISO 7010
Most exit signs in the world, except in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Philippines, and Singapore, are of pictogram type. Australia, Canada, Singapore, and Hong Kong have made changes to their respective life safety codes to encourage pictogram use. The Philippines, which lacks a uniform standard for emergency exit signage, have places that use either the pictogram type, signs with the word "EXIT"/"FIRE EXIT"/"EMERGENCY EXIT" written on it, or a mix between the two.
In the United States, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) defines the uniformed standard for exit signs. NFPA 101 - 7.10.3.1 requires text-based exit signs for all standard mounted applications, but pictogram supplements are allowed as long as approval from the local authority is obtained and complies with NFPA 170. The NFPA has also approved the ISO pictogram as an option for low level glow-in-the-dark signs.[6] New York City local law 26 requires these low level symbolic signs in all high rise buildings.[7] In tunnels, the Transportation Research Board recommends using the ISO symbol.[8]
Newer Airbus, Bombardier CS100, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes started using the new pictogram exit signs, which were approved by the FAA in 2012 and 2014 (depending on aircraft type).[9] The newly-renovated Government Center subway station in Boston, as well as MBTA's newer Type 9 streetcars for the Green Line and new Orange Line and Red Line trains manufactured by CRRC, use exit signs with white-on-green "EXIT" text with the ISO pictogram next to it. Recent terminal renovations at the Albany International Airport have added supplemental ISO pictogram exit signage on terminal way-finding signage near the emergency exits. Some sections of the Corning Museum of Glass use an exclusive variant of the ISO pictogram exit signage pointing to where the exits are along with traditional text-based exit signage.
Modern exit signs often can be seen indicating the path to an exit in commercial and large residential buildings that comply with fire code. Certain circumstances, such as the year a building was built, may leave it exempt from some of these codes. In most situations, the owner of the building is responsible for complying with exit sign requirements. This is especially true in older buildings that serve as multiple residences, such as apartment buildings, hotels, and campus dormitories.[10]
Modern fixtures are usually in a rugged plastic or metal housing securely bolted to the wall or ceiling. The signs have the word "EXIT", or a picture representing exit, on both sides. Single-sided signs are also available for wall-mount installations. The signs often have metal or plastic knock-outs which can optionally be removed so that an arrow is also lit pointing left or right. Modern exit signs are often combined with other safety devices, such as emergency floodlighting for supplementary area illumination.[11] Modern exit signs are also, to some degree, flame retardant.
Exit signs draw a relatively small amount of power, and can generally be added onto any existing electrical circuit without adverse effects. In addition, specialized LED lamps with "candelabra" sized screw-in bases are available to replace the always-on incandescent lamps in older exit signs. This allows the existing fixtures to be easily upgraded to save energy, without the expense of complete replacement.
Most recently, LEC (light emitting capacitor) exit signs have come to market. Also called electroluminescent (EL), these signs only consume 1/4 W of power, and have an operational life of 30+ years which far exceeds the typical 10-year life of an LED sign.[citation needed]
Non-compliance with building codes
It is often a serious offence for a building owner or landlord to not comply with the fire/building code in terms of Exit signage. In July 2016, for example, a fire in a Toronto apartment caused the death of one person and injured many others.[12] An investigation found that Emergency lights and Exit signs were not properly illuminated, and the landlord was fined about $20,000 for "not properly illuminating exit signs and having no record of emergency lighting tests", and another $50,000 for other infractions to the code.[13]
Electric lighting, with the building's emergency lighting circuits providing back-up power from a UPS or a generator in case normal power fails
Color and design
The UK variant of the emergency exit light sign
A bilingual EXIT sign was used at the CN Tower in Toronto until 2014, when it was replaced with a pictogram
In most regions, including China, the European Union, Japan, and South Korea exit signs have green lettering. (In this color scheme, red is reserved to indicate prohibited activities.) In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and most European countries, pictograms are used in place of the word "exit".[16] European sign directive 92/58/EEC of 24 June 1992 indicates that the signs should be green in color to indicate a safe place of exit. BS EN 1838:1999 and BS 5266-7:1999 also govern emergency lighting applications.
In the United States, exit signs can be red or green, but traditionally they have been red. Many states or cities have enacted building codes that specify the sign color. For example, in Baltimore, Salt Lake City, and Portland, Oregon, green is required. New York City, Rhode Island, and Chicago (along with the rest of Illinois) require that exit signs be red.
New and renovated buildings in Canada are required to use the international standard green "running man" pictogram. The 1995 Canadian national building code required "red letters on a contrasting background or white letters on a red background ... spelling EXIT or SORTIE",[17] however the 2010 Code calls for a switch from the red EXIT signs to the green "running-man" signs.[18] The national building code informs provincial and municipal building codes but does not have legal status itself. Most Canadian jurisdictions require the international green "running-man" pictogram, however some have allowed red "EXIT" signs to be maintained in older properties so long as one style is used consistently throughout the building.[19]
Green fluorescent signs can be seen better in dark conditions than other colours, as the human rod cell is more sensitive to these wavelengths.[20][21]
Newly installed exit signs in Australia are green with a white "running man" figure (AS2293). Previously, green-written 'EXIT' signs were standard.
Accessible designs
There is a trend towards providing a more accessible, socially inclusive exit sign design based on universal design principles, including consideration for people with disabilities in the overall exit sign strategy for a building or facility.[citation needed]
The Accessible Exit Sign Project, which started in Australia in 2014 and has spread to New Zealand and the United States, is an international awareness campaign that promotes the need for an accessible means of egress. Advocates propose that appropriate exit signage to identify the accessible means of egress is a critical component to successful emergency planning for any building.[22]
The proposed new exit sign design features an "Accessible Means of Egress Icon", which includes an adaptation of the "running man" symbol with a new wheelchair symbol. The design is considered an enhanced version of the ISO 7010 and ISO 21542 accessible exit sign that shows the "running man" and International Symbol of Access at the end of the sign. The universally inclusive design with the "running man" and "Accessible Means of Egress Icon" wheelchair symbol essentially share the same upper torso, and the design shows the two moving through the door together. The Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES) has stated that the introduction of the "Accessible Means of Egress Icon" onto exit signage changes the current discriminatory approach to emergency exit signs and presents a fully inclusive design.[23] "The combined ‘Running Man’ and ‘Accessible Means of Egress Icon’ […] are working together to escape the building. They move in unison, display the same urgency and motion and appear to be travelling at the same speed. Their heads are forward, showing their haste. Arms are extended and motioning back and forth as they move through the doorway."[23]
The accessible exit signs are now being produced in Australia, New Zealand, United States, and United Kingdom, also featuring braille and tactile lettering suitable for people that have low vision or are blind.[24] The design is intended to show where wheelchair accessible exit routes, evacuation lifts, evacuation devices and areas of refuge are located.[25] The concept also provides more intuitive building design to assist people that are blind or have low vision to locate an exit.[26] The design also meets the intent of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which requires signatory countries to consider the need for universal design in buildings.
An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the socket of a light fixture, which is often called a "lamp" as well. The electrical connection to the socket may be made with a screw-thread base, two metal pins, two metal caps or a bayonet mount.
A halogen lamp is an incandescent lamp consisting of a tungsten filament sealed in a compact transparent envelope that is filled with a mixture of an inert gas and a small amount of a halogen, such as iodine or bromine. The combination of the halogen gas and the tungsten filament produces a halogen-cycle chemical reaction, which redeposits evaporated tungsten on the filament, increasing its life and maintaining the clarity of the envelope. This allows the filament to operate at a higher temperature than a standard incandescent lamp of similar power and operating life; this also produces light with higher luminous efficacy and color temperature. The small size of halogen lamps permits their use in compact optical systems for projectors and illumination. The small glass envelope may be enclosed in a much larger outer glass bulb, which has a lower temperature, protects the inner bulb from contamination, and makes the bulb mechanically more similar to a conventional lamp.
A fluorescent lamp, or fluorescent tube, is a low-pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. An electric current in the gas excites mercury vapor, which produces short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor coating on the inside of the lamp to glow. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical energy into useful light much more efficiently than an incandescent lamp. The typical luminous efficacy of fluorescent lighting systems is 50–100 lumens per watt, several times the efficacy of incandescent bulbs with comparable light output. For comparison, the luminous efficacy of an incandescent bulb may only be 16 lumens per watt.
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight. Daylighting is sometimes used as the main source of light during daytime in buildings. This can save energy in place of using artificial lighting, which represents a major component of energy consumption in buildings. Proper lighting can enhance task performance, improve the appearance of an area, or have positive psychological effects on occupants.
In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs were popular in the United States from about the 1920s to 1950s. The installations in Times Square, many originally designed by Douglas Leigh, were famed, and there were nearly 2,000 small shops producing neon signs by 1940. In addition to signage, neon lighting is used frequently by artists and architects, and in plasma display panels and televisions. The signage industry has declined in the past several decades, and cities are now concerned with preserving and restoring their antique neon signs.
Photometry is a branch of optics that deals with the measurement of light in terms of its perceived brightness to the human eye. It is concerned with quantifying the amount of light that is emitted, transmitted, or received by an object or a system.
An emergency exit in a building or other structure is a special exit used during emergencies such as fires. The combined use of regular and emergency exits allows for faster evacuation, and emergency exits provide alternative means of evacuation if regular exits are inaccessible.
A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), also called compact fluorescent light, energy-saving light and compact fluorescent tube, is a fluorescent lamp designed to replace an incandescent light bulb; some types fit into light fixtures designed for incandescent bulbs. The lamps use a tube that is curved or folded to fit into the space of an incandescent bulb, and a compact electronic ballast in the base of the lamp.
A metal-halide lamp is an electrical lamp that produces light by an electric arc through a gaseous mixture of vaporized mercury and metal halides. It is a type of high-intensity discharge (HID) gas discharge lamp. Developed in the 1960s, they are similar to mercury vapor lamps, but contain additional metal halide compounds in the quartz arc tube, which improve the efficiency and color rendition of the light. The most common metal halide compound used is sodium iodide. Once the arc tube reaches its running temperature, the sodium dissociates from the iodine, adding orange and reds to the lamp's spectrum from the sodium D line as the metal ionizes. As a result, metal-halide lamps have high luminous efficacy of around 75–100 lumens per watt, which is about twice that of mercury vapor lights and 3 to 5 times that of incandescent lights and produce an intense white light. Lamp life is 6,000 to 15,000 hours. As one of the most efficient sources of high CRI white light, metal halides as of 2005 were the fastest growing segment of the lighting industry. They are used for wide area overhead lighting of commercial, industrial, and public places, such as parking lots, sports arenas, factories, and retail stores, as well as residential security lighting, automotive headlamps and indoor cannabis grow operations.
An emergency light is a battery-backed lighting device that switches on automatically when a building experiences a power outage.
Architectural lighting design is a field of work or study that is concerned with the design of lighting systems within the built environment, both interior and exterior. It can include manipulation and design of both daylight and electric light or both, to serve human needs.
A light fixture, light fitting, or luminaire is an electrical lighting device containing one or more light sources, such as lamps, and all the accessory components required for its operation to provide illumination to the environment. All light fixtures have a fixture body and one or more lamps. The lamps may be in sockets for easy replacement—or, in the case of some LED fixtures, hard-wired in place.
A multifaceted reflector light bulb is a reflector housing format for halogen as well as some LED and fluorescent lamps. MR lamps were originally designed for use in slide projectors, but see use in residential lighting and retail lighting as well. They are suited to applications that require directional lighting such as track lighting, recessed ceiling lights, desk lamps, pendant fixtures, landscape lighting, retail display lighting, and bicycle headlights. MR lamps are designated by symbols such as MR16 where the diameter is represented by numerals indicating units of eighths of an inch. Common sizes for general lighting are MR16 and MR11, with MR20 and MR8 used in specialty applications. Many run on low voltage rather than mains voltage alternating current so require a power supply.
A grow light is an electric light to help plants grow. Grow lights either attempt to provide a light spectrum similar to that of the sun, or to provide a spectrum that is more tailored to the needs of the plants being cultivated. Outdoor conditions are mimicked with varying colour temperatures and spectral outputs from the grow light, as well as varying the intensity of the lamps. Depending on the type of plant being cultivated, the stage of cultivation, and the photoperiod required by the plants, specific ranges of spectrum, luminous efficacy and color temperature are desirable for use with specific plants and time periods.
An LED lamp or LED light is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps. The most efficient commercially available LED lamps have efficiencies exceeding 200 lumens per watt (lm/W) and convert more than half the input power into light. Commercial LED lamps have a lifespan several times longer than both incandescent and fluorescent lamps.
Aquarium lighting describes any type of artificial lighting that is used to illuminate an aquarium. Some types of aquaria such as reef aquariums and planted aquariums require specialized high intensity lighting to support photosynthetic life within the tank.
Various governments have passed legislation to phase out manufacturing or importation of incandescent light bulbs for general lighting in favor of more energy-efficient alternatives. The regulations are generally based on efficiency, rather than use of incandescent technology. However, it is not unlawful to continue to buy or sell existing bulbs, which are unregulated.
United States Lighting Energy Policy is moving towards increased efficiency in order to lower greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. Lighting efficiency improvements in the United States can be seen through different standards and acts. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 laid out changes in lighting legislation for the United States. This set up performance standards and the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs in order to require the use of more efficient fluorescent lighting. EISA 2007 is an effort to increase lighting efficiency by 25-30%. Opposition to EISA 2007 is demonstrated by the Better Use of Light Bulbs Act and the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act. The efforts to increase lighting efficiency are also demonstrated by the Energy Star program and the increase efficiency goals by 2011 and 2013. A ban on the manufacture and sale of most general purpose incandescent bulbs in the U.S. took effect on August 1, 2023.
A GU24 lamp fitting is a bi-pin connector for compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) or LED lamps that uses a bayonet mount–like twist-lock bi-pin connector instead of the Edison screw fitting used on many CFLs, LED lamps and incandescent light bulbs. The design was initiated by the U.S. EPA and the Lighting Research Center in 2004, in order to facilitate the deployment of compact fluorescent light bulbs with replaceable ballasts.
Floor marking tapes are adhesive tapes used to mark hazards, divide spaces, create aisles, or provide directions. They are commonly used in industrial and manufacturing facilities for floor marking. They are made of multiple different materials, including PVC and vinyl, and vary in thickness from 5-mils to 55-mils for a wide range of durability options for manufacturing facility floor marking. The best floor marking tapes are usually 50 to 60 mils thick. Most tapes come in a variety of color options and even hazard patterns to meet U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration/ANSI requirements and other safety standards. Some tapes are made with higher reflectivity and may even glow in the dark.
References
↑ Jin, Tadahisa (December 2007). "誘導灯表示面のピクトグラフについて". Kasai. 57 (6). Japan Association for Fire Science and Engineering: 38.
↑ The English word "exit" comes directly from the Latin word meaning "(he or she) goes out.
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