The LWF Blog

Fire Safety for Facilities Management Personnel – Fire Safety Signs – Part 178

November 28, 2022 12:30 pm

Lawrence Webster Forrest (LWF) is a specialist fire engineering and fire risk management consultancy whose aim is to give information on best practice in fire safety for facilities management personnel through this blog series. In part 177, LWF began to look safe condition signs. In part 178, we will continue discussing safe condition signs, before considering mandatory signs.

Graphical symbols on signs are not just used for fire exits, but also for ‘slide to open’ and ‘break glass (or cover) in the event of fire’. They are commonly supported by supplementary signs with the wording as given, above.

There is one more standard safe condition sign used regularly, but this one does not have a specific graphical symbol associated with it. ‘Push bar to open’ gives instructions to open panic hardware.

Other safe condition signs can be made and used, as necessary, by showing the green sign with a white tick on it and adding a supplementary sign with appropriate wording.

Relevant guidance can be found in the following documents:

BS 5499

The Health and Safety (Signs and Signals) Regulations

Mandatory Signs

The use of mandatory signage is commonly seen on fire-resisting doors, each of which must bear the appropriate sign. Mandatory signs are subject to standard wordings to ensure consistency and ensure they are easily spotted and understood by building occupants. The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations (linked above) does not apply to mandatory signs.

Standard wording for common mandatory signs are as follows:

• Fire door keep shut – used on a self-closing fire door when not in use, except automatic fire doors
• Fire action – used as a heading for written fire instructions
• Fire door keep locked shut – used on fire doors which are not self-closing and which must be kept locked when not in use
• Automatic fire door keep clear – used on self-closing fire doors or shutters which close in the event of a fire
• Automatic fire door keep clear close at night
• Secure door open when premises are occupied – used when a fire door or gate opens in the wrong direction for escape
• Remove security fastenings when premises are occupied
• Gangway keep clear
• Fire exit keep clear – typically used outside a fire exit door that may be obstructed by parking or rubbish, for example

Mandatory signs are blue and white, noticeably different from the green and white of safe condition signs.

 

In part 179 of this series, LWF will begin to discuss fire equipment signs. In the meantime, if you have any queries about your own facilities or wish to discuss this blog series, please contact LWF on freephone 0800 410 1130.

 

Lawrence Webster Forrest is a fire engineering consultancy based in Surrey with over 35 years’ experience, which provides a wide range of consultancy services to professionals involved in the design, development and construction and operation of buildings.

 

While care has been taken to ensure that information contained in LWF’s publications is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information.