Enhancing Emergency Evacuation Basic Safety With the Help of Photoluminescent Film Products
By: L.Steven Sanders
An emergency evacuation that results in injuries and casualties can have 3 negative effects on the company that experiences it: a rise in workers comp insurance because of payouts; damage to its name; and probably most harmful of all, costly lawsuits which will also damage its reputation. Guaranteeing that evacuations proceed as planned when it comes to evacuee behavior is never simple, but making your business evacuation ready starts with assessing its evacuation paths as well as safety signage. Do the paths contain luminescent markings, and is the signage luminescent? If they are not, your building is actually a firetrap waiting to happen. Below, we take a look at the importance of making your buildings emergency egress paths and safety signage luminous with photoluminescent films.
The Value of Luminescent Markings and Signage
The significance of luminescent path markings and building signage was reinforced with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, where bombs shattered the buildings’ backup power generators that powered its backup lighting, causing building occupants to use vertical exit enclosures virtually in the dark, or by flashlight. In reaction to this ordeal, cities and states across the U.S. started adopting the emergency egress safety precautions contained inside the International Fire Code (IFC), which mandates that luminescent path markings and safety signage be applied to egress paths in commercial and residential R1 buildings that feature occupancy above 75 feet from the lowest level of fire truck accessibility.
Replacing Your Building’s Backup Lighting
If your state hasn’t adopted a version of the IFC, your building’s vertical exit enclosures may have backup lighting alone, a technology that has two drawbacks: it might fail, also it doesn’t work while in the presence of smoke or dust. This is exactly why the IFC mandates the application of luminescent path markings on handrails and handrail extensions, the leading edges of steps and landings, the perimeter part of landings, potential egress path obstacles, as well as the door frames and door hardware of exit leading doors. These markings, which are available with a non-slip surface, fully outline the equipment as well as dimensions of vertical exit enclosures, glowing brightly under all conditions.
Luminescent Coatings and Transforming Basic Safety Signage
If your building’s exit enclosures feature non-luminescent signs whose information meets IFC guidelines, you can make them luminescent by applying photoluminescent film to their surface. The same pertains to other building signs, particularly those that designate assisted rescue areas, fire extinguishers, fire hose as well as standpipe units, and signs that give building pathways. When you use photoluminescent film products to define your building’s egress paths making its current signage photoluminescent, you create an interior that facilitates efficient, expedient evacuations, evacuations which safeguard both you and your building occupants against injuries and casualties that could have longstanding consequences.
In my research on photoluminescent film products, I’ve examined the value of luminescent coatings and converting for existing buildings.
While conducting research for this article, I learned about photoluminescent film suppliers and photoluminescent films & tapes at www.Jessupmfg.com.
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