UK Legal Requirements on Fire Extinguisher Signs
In the UK, every workplace and establishment is required to display safety signs wherever there are dangers that cannot or must not be disregarded. This requirement is covered under The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Fire extinguisher signs are also supported by these regulations. They are identification signs whose function is to direct users to the location of extinguishers. They are commonly attached near a business area’s firefighting arsenal where it can be easily seen to make sure that a potential user can identify where the nearest fire extinguisher is located.
Fire extinguisher signs are typically manufactured from self-adhesive materials, such as aluminium, vinyl, and PVC. Although pictograms are very popular, other kinds of signs are printed with both pictograms and text, thus making it more convenient for people to comprehend directions where the fire extinguisher is stored. Other modern signs are also very instructional, in that they provide detailed descriptions of the safety device, including the type of extinguishing substance and the classes of fire that the particular fire extinguisher is suitable for.
Many different types and sizes of fire safety signs are available in the market. A business may be tempted to save on costs and purchase fire extinguisher signs made out of rigid plastic, which on first glance serves the same purpose of more expensive ones made out of photoluminescent material. With varying thicknesses and ink quality, these plastic signs however fade over time, forcing a business to purchase another set of signs, or worse, be overlooked and when needed, make a possible user unable to find it as the supposed to be sign has long faded and cannot be noticed. Another disadvantage of standard rigid plastic signs is that they can only be seen when the lights are on or during the day.
Modern fire extinguisher signs are currently being made using photoluminescent materials, such as a polymer. This unique material absorbs light and is visible in the dark, a great feature which enables an individual to still locate the fire extinguisher in case the lights go out during a fire. The photoluminescent substance contains an inorganic phosphor compound that is very rapidly energised by blue light and ultraviolet wavelength energy present in almost every type of light source. This energy is converted into a low energy yellow-green light, which is the colour best recognised by the human eye. Photoluminescent signs are often mistakenly called reflective signs as well. However, they are very different because the light returned by reflective signs has limitations. Nonetheless, numerous extinguishers and mounting posts use a reflective adhesive tape to easily identify the fire extinguisher’s location.
The distinctive feature of fire extinguisher signs is that their message is clear to anybody who sees them—whether able to read or not, whether English-speaking or not. Pictures are universal; any regular person will be able to identify a picture of a fire extinguisher yet may not be able to read the term if not written in his or her own language. Truly, a picture is worth more than a thousand words when it comes to saving lives.
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Tags: fire extinguisher signs, fire hose