What Fire Safety Signs Do I Need?

Fire safety signs are an essential component of any workplace and provide critical, life-saving information in an emergency. Under Health and Safety regulations, workplaces are required to have certain fire safety signs, but with many different types available, how do you know which ones you need?

What the Regulations Say

Businesses must comply with the Health and Safety (Safety Sign and Signals) Regulations 1996, which state that “signboards and/or a safety colour must be used to mark permanently the location and identification of fire-fighting equipment”. This could include signs to show the location of fire blankets and extinguishers, as well as explaining fire extinguisher colour codes (i.e., CO2, dry powder, foam, and water).

Whilst it is generally recommended that business premises have at least 2 or 3 fire safety signs, the H&S regulations say that the “number and positioning of signs and signalling devices to be installed will depend on the extent of the hazards or dangers or on the zone to be covered”. So, you must assess the requirements of your own workplace to ensure you have sufficient fire safety measures in place.

Another set of regulations which landlords should be aware of is The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, due to come into force from 23^rd January 2023. This includes guidelines for signage in high-rise residential buildings.

You should also make sure to use signs which are widely recognised. Our safety signs comply with BS EN ISO 7010 British and European standards, which means that we incorporate internationally used symbols in our signs to ensure that they can be clearly understood, regardless of language, culture, or location.

Types of Fire Signs

There are various types of fire safety signs to be aware of, including:

• Fire Equipment Signs – for marking the location of fire extinguishers and codes, fire alarms, blankets, buckets, hoses, etc.
• Fire Exit Signs – for showing the location of fire exits (LED fire exit signs are also available)
• Photoluminous Signs – for conveying fire safety information about fire exits, extinguishers, etc. when lighting has failed
• Fire Safety Boards – for combining a selection of safety information, e.g. a Fire Point Location Board or Hot Works Board

Whilst some signs are absolutely vital, for example, fire equipment signs, others, such as fire safety boards, are not necessarily essential but still very useful. The better your fire safety measures, the more secure everyone in the workplace will feel, and the higher the chance that you will be able to deal with a fire successfully.

Leading Fire Safety Sign Suppliers

Glendining Signs can provide all the fire signs you need for your workplace environment, whether that is an office, construction site, or school. Contact us if you would like help or advice, and to discuss our custom signage solutions. 

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