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FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY
Fire safety signage David Cload, Projects and Technical Manager at Stocksigns, provides an overview of the current legislation for fire safety signage, including the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 and the BS EN ISO 7010:2019 relating to graphical symbols, safety colours and safety signs. taying up-to-date on the latest legal requirements regarding safety signage is crucial for any local authority facilities manager. Not only does it eradicate the risk of fines, but also critically, it serves to diminish the risk of workplace injuries and fatalities. According to the latest report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 142 people were killed in workplace accidents between March 2020 and March 2021 in the UK, proving there is more to be done
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in terms of alleviating risk for employees across sectors. Signage has an important role to play in protecting workers, as evidenced by the detailed and ever evolving legislation. In 1996, the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations Act was passed, providing signage guidance ‘for employers and duty holders, and others who have responsibility for the control of work sites
and premises.’ The Act, which was updated in 2005 and is still in effect today, dedicates an entire section to the importance of signs pertaining specifically to fire safety. At the outset of the section, fire safety signs are defined ‘as a sign (including an illuminated sign or an acoustic signal) which: provides information on escape routes and emergency exits in case of fire; provides information on the identification or location of fire fighting equipment; gives warning in case of fire.’
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The document goes on to summarise the use of fire safety signs in buildings and structures, with information regarding the marking and identification of fire fighting equipment. Those responsible for local authority buildings are then given practical advice on where these signs should be displayed; but it is noted that, in many instances, ‘the enforcing authority for fire safety will determine where to locate the signs. In other cases, you should provide signs depending on the outcome of your assessment of risks to health and safety.’ The Act also states that signage should feature wherever hazards have been identified and control measures implemented, in order to alert employees
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