Fire doubles every 30 to 60 seconds; people follow signs they can see, not routes they half-remember from induction. Fire exit and emergency signage is the cheapest life-safety system in your building – here is what it must include, where each sign goes, glow versus lit options for power cuts, and the maintenance routine that keeps it audit-ready.
Pillar: safety signs colours, shapes and placement. Service: safety signage printing.
What fire exit signs does a building need?
Every building needs directional exit signs at each corridor junction and turn, exit identifiers above every final exit door, floor and stairwell markings, assembly-point boards outside, and fire-equipment locators (extinguisher, hose reel, alarm call point, riser) visible from the approach path. Green running-man plus arrow combinations are the standard vocabulary – consistent arrows throughout, never mixed styles floor to floor. Multi-floor buildings add floor plans with “you are here” at lobbies and stair entries.
Glow-in-the-dark or electrically lit signs?
Electrically lit (LED edge-lit or illuminated) exit signs suit buildings with reliable backup power and maintained emergency circuits. Photoluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) signs charge from ambient light and glow through total power failure with no wiring – ideal for warehouses, stairwells and factories where circuits are the first casualty. Best practice in industrial Telangana sites is both: lit signs on mains-plus-backup circuits, photoluminescent low-level way-guidance strips that survive everything. Specify the glow duration grade (hours) when ordering – cheap boards fade in minutes.
Where exactly do exit signs go?
Above every exit door, at every corridor turn and junction, at every stair entry and floor landing, and repeated along long corridors so the next sign is always visible – plus assembly-point identification outside at the muster area. Mounting height follows the size and viewing-distance guide: too high and smoke hides them (which is why low-level floor-proximity strips matter), too low and racks block them. Walk every escape route quarterly with fresh eyes; stored pallets migrate to block signs within weeks.
How do I maintain emergency signage?
Monthly visual check (damage, fading, blocked sightlines), quarterly night or lights-off test of photoluminescent performance, annual review after layout changes (new racks, partitions, machinery), and immediate replacement after any fire drill finding. Log checks against audit requirements – a dated photo log beats memory in front of inspectors and insurers alike.
FAQs
Are stickers enough for fire exits? For low-risk small offices, quality photoluminescent stickers at correct positions can suffice. For factories, warehouses and public buildings, rigid or aluminium boards with proper illumination grades are the audit-safe choice.
What wording – English only? Symbols first (standard running man), with trilingual text where workforces need it – see bilingual signs.
Can DeskBees survey and supply? Yes – site walkthrough plus sign schedule plus supply and installation in Hyderabad. Contact us.
Last updated: 20 September 2026.