Talk:Exit sign

Red or Green

 * In some countries, Exit signs are red, because Emergency vehicles (fire engines) are red. This varies by state.
 * In Australia, Exit signs are green, because they are the way to go in an emergency.

Red or Green

I was doing some research for a friend on safety when she asked be about exit signs. I looked at this page, as well as the US Department of Labor (OSHA) for reference material. I noticed that there is a statement on this page that "In the US exit signs are both red and green, both colors being legal." I believe that is incorrect.

According to the US DOL site (http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10681):

"1926.200(d) Exit signs. Exit signs, when required, shall be lettered in legible red letters, not less than 6 inches high, on a white field and the principal stroke of the letters shall be at least three-fourths inch in width."

So there really is not a legal basis for green exit signs in the US. We may need to update this page to make this correction. Ferrett 11:22, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

Actually, the federal government (including OSHA) has no authority over exit signs, as they are controlled by building codes. Building code laws are a shared responsibility of the states and localities. Most states allow either, but many have a recommendation for a specific color. It may also vary by locality. I updated the page to reflect this. Eaglescout1984 16:37 29 July 2006 (GMT)

It is also worth noting that 29CFR1926, the item referenced before is applicable only on construction sites, rather that applicable to finished buildings.--75.140.97.208 (talk) 16:31, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

Does someone have time to revisit examples of individual state color requirements? One of the examples in the article was a green requirement in Maryland, but I couldn't find any such requirement in the exit sign section of the Maryland building code. I know very little about building codes though, so I'm not sure where to look.

In any case, there's no citation on those examples and they need one anyway. Hopefully someone can look into it. Jhugh95 (talk) 20:34, 14 October 2014 (UTC)

I'm surprised that nobody seems to have had the idea of using both green and red, with green indicating normal egress paths and red indicating emergency-only exits. Is this not done anywhere? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:246:4B00:D12D:D97E:AB67:1161:C143 (talk) 18:38, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Edge-lit exit signs
I have noticed that some exit signs are transparent sheets of plastic that are lit from above by LEDs. They can be read from either side, and the word "exit" never appears backward. Here is a link to a picture: http://www.prolighting.com/edlitexsi.html Can somebody tell me how these work? Thanks, Chris Allington cjalling@oakland.edu

Chris, I speculate you are talking about double-faced edge-lit exit signs. Double-faced exit signs have a special mirror placed in between the two faces. That is why the word "EXIT" does not "bleed through" to the other side. Just for the sake of completeness, I think I should mention that tritium exit signs with two faces use practically the same method, those having two separate exit signs screwed together (at least this is how Emergi-Lite assembles their double-faced tritium signs). I hope this information has been helpful to you! Compdude512 13:34, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

The edit I made...
I removed this weblink: because it referenced it as a "regular" exit sign. Although this is the standard symbol used on American passenger trains, it is used for emergency exits, usually window exits, in much the same way as "EXIT" is used for most exits in buildings.

I ride Amtrak regularly, and I will make an effort to take a picture of such a sign, and maybe the window sign too. I'll explain it in the caption.

LED fixture life
"As a rule, LEDs have a life that is as long as the fixture, and may last for 10 years or more of continuous use."

This does not make sense. Buildings have a life of much more than 10 years. EXIT signs are part of the building, in continuous use, and may well go untouched for decades, except for needed maintenance. LEDs generally are quoted as having a life of 50,000-100,000 hours. There are 8,760 hours in a year. So, the expected life would be 6-11 years, unless something else fails first. Therefore, LED EXIT signs will certainly need maintenance over the decades of desired life. Are they designed with replaceable standard LED assemblies, or must the whole sign be replaced? Is the sign assembly recyclable?-69.87.200.161 18:13, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it is recyclable. Many LED signs have a replaceable board, but as the sign ages the part will be likely discontinued by then, so it is not generally done. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.93.216.184 (talk) 01:45, 11 November 2014 (UTC)

Canadian regulations encourage LED
"Amendment to Regulations for Internally Lighted Exit Signs Bulletin (Update) - September 2004 INTERNALLY LIGHTED EXIT SIGNS

... The most recent Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standard for exit signs (CAN/CSA C860-01) was published in 2001. This standard contains voluntary minimum performance standards of 22 watts for signs 120 V or less, and 27 watts for signs greater than 120 V...

Technical criteria for ENERGY STAR® qualified exit signs are in effect in the United States and require 5 watts (W) per face. These criteria have applied to ENERGY STAR in Canada as well. To meet them typically requires that LED technology be employed. Current studies have projected that in five years 70 percent of the exit signs sold in Canada will meet the ENERGY STAR criteria....

MINIMUM ENERGY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS (MEPS) The actual power consumed by an exit sign shall be not greater than 5 W per legend. Type 3 signs are allowed 5 W in addition to the 5 W per legend....

The energy efficiency standard for internally lighted exit signs comes into effect on November 1, 2004...." -69.87.203.202 21:37, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

INFORM recommends LED - comparative analysis
"Purchasing for Pollution Prevention Environmentally Preferable LED Exit Signs: Saving Money and Protecting the Environment Through Energy Efficiency

According to the US Department of Energy, there are more than 100 million exit signs in use in the United States. These signs are typically lit by incandescent lamps and are estimated to consume 30 to 35 billion kilowatt- hours of electricity annually. 1) Newer models of exit signs replace incandescent bulbs with either high-efficiency light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or compact fluorescent lamps. By specifying new exit signs (or retrofitting existing incandescent-lit signs 2) with LED technology, municipalities and facilities can conserve energy, save money, and reduce their exit signs’ impact on the environment by eliminating fluorescent bulbs that contain mercury.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION . Two-lamp exit signs use from 1 to 50 watts of electricity. LED, incandescent, and compact fluorescent lamps use dramatically different amounts of energy. Exit signs using LEDs typically use about 10 to 50 times less energy than those with incandescent bulbs.

LAMP LIFE . The length of time a lamp lasts is a critical factor, since lamp replacement costs (including lamp and labor costs, as well as the administrative cost of ordering lamps) will be incurred more frequently when lamps have a shorter rated life. An LED exit sign can last for 10 years with no lamp change-outs. During this time, a fluorescent bulb may need to be replaced six or more times and an incandescent bulb up to 30 times.

Are LEDs environmentally preferable compared to incandescent or fluorescent lamps? Yes. Incandescent and compact fluorescent lamps use more power than LEDs, and that power may be generated by coal-burning power plants, which are the largest source of mercury releases in the US, according to the EPA. 4 The EPA estimates that, on average, 0.016 mg of mercury is emitted for each kilowatt-hour of electricity used in the US. 5 Though significantly more energy efficient than incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps contain mercury, which can be released to the environment when lamps break, either during use or after disposal. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is not readily broken down in the environment and can cause serious damage to the developing brains of infants and young children. The fluorescent lamps in one exit sign can contain more than 10 mg of mercury. 6 Thus, by switching to LEDs, a facility with 20 exit signs can reduce mercury use over a 10-year period from more than 750 mg to zero, and mercury emissions related to power use from 450 mg to 30 mg. 750 mg of mercury can contaminate over 1,000 fish to the point where they cannot be eaten."

INFORM, Inc. November 2003   -69.87.203.202 20:28, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Photoluminescent best
"The Exit-Sign Revolution Start paying more attention to the types of exit signs that you select


 * Tritium, LED, and photoluminescent exit signs all have pros and cons.
 * Photoluminescent technology is an excellent choice for many exit-sign applications...
 * LED exit signs and other electrically based technologies rely on emergency generators, battery back-ups, and light bulbs - all of which can fail during an emergency.

Most of the United States’ 100 million electrically powered exit signs use between 2 and 40 watts of power, and contain batteries and circuit boards that are now recognized as hazardous universal wastes by the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). An increasing number of new buildings and renovation projects are now incorporating photoluminescent exit signs that are powered from nearby area lighting and constructed of non-hazardous recyclable materials.

Today, well over 90 percent of the exit signs being installed in new facilities employ the use of LED (light-emitting diode) technology, using lamps with 2 to 5 watts of power that have an expected service life of 20 to 25 years. Compare these numbers to the popular exit signs of the 1970s and 1980s (they used 20- to 40-watt incandescent and compact-fluorescent lamps with service lives of months, not years) and it’s easy to see how the current emphasis on LED exit signs has evolved.

Although they are a giant step forward with respect to energy conservation and lamp life, LED exit signs can have adverse safety, efficiency, and sustainability issues when compared to another evolving technology - the non-electrical, photoluminescent exit sign.

Not to be confused with industrial-looking radioluminescent tritium exit signs that glow from the radioactive decay of hydrogen to helium, photoluminescent (PL) exit signs use a non-toxic, non-radioactive compound of strontium oxide aluminate to store ambient light energy and, when the light is removed, to release the stored energy as an intense green/yellow glow. It’s the same “glow-in-the-dark” technology used in toys and other curios, but with a radiance that is much brighter and longer lasting....

New York City ... passed Local Law 26, requiring installation of PL exit signs and marker systems in many new and existing high-rise office buildings. This extraordinary measure is a result of studies about the World Trade Center events of 9/11, which confirmed that building occupants exited faster and safer in areas that were outfitted with PL technology. LEDs and other electrically based technologies rely on emergency generators, battery back-ups, and light bulbs - all of which can (and, unfortunately, do) fail during emergencies....

The operating costs of a PL exit sign are also significantly less than an LED exit sign since there are no power costs, no batteries or lamps to replace, and no monthly and/or annual testing procedures. ... One large condominium community in San Diego is realizing savings of $18,500 annually by using PL exit signs instead of LED exit signs in 70 percent of its exit-sign locations....

The radioactive nature of tritium exit signs increasingly precludes their use in many locations, including grade schools, college campuses, and corporate facilities. The United States Department of Defense’s Unified Facilities Criteria specifically prohibits tritium exit signs in military facilities.

Regulated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), owners of tritium exit signs must notify the NRC if a sign is damaged or goes missing. Expressly prohibited from landfills, tritium exit-sign owners must also notify the NRC when a sign is decommissioned and sent to a nuclear-waste facility. Proper disposal typically costs about $75 per sign.

Despite their long lives, LED exit signs may not be considered as sustainable as photoluminescent exit signs for three reasons:

1. Contribution to greenhouse-gas inventory. Although 3 to 5 watts per sign is low...

2. Hazardous chemicals are used during fabrication processes. The housings of many exit signs are PVC...

3. Circuit boards and batteries are hazardous wastes. Federal regulations (EPA 40 CFR Part 273) now consider the back-up batteries inside many LED exit signs to be a universal waste ..."

Buildings November, 2006  -69.87.203.202 20:49, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

NiCd vs. NiMH
Modern exit signs with built-in battery backup seem to use NiCd. This seems crazy. Cadmium heavy-metal waste. Why not NiMH? Better for the environment!-69.87.203.114 01:38, 13 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Also, many of them still use classic lead-acid battery technology. There are some economic incentives to recycle lead and cadmium, and large building owners (who typically have a large number of exit signs) are supposed to participate in programs to recycle used batteries. Reify-tech (talk) 12:43, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

How to replace bulb
Can't find any diagrams or instructions anywhere about how to maintain exit signs, how to open them up, how to replace the bulbs when they burn out, how to fix, etc. The only pic of innards so far is:  -69.87.203.114 01:38, 13 May 2007 (UTC)


 * It varies from one to the next. Some require tools, some don't. Some are all "vandal proof", others aren't... 76.117.247.55 (talk) 02:10, 11 April 2010 (UTC)

Inside
There are no pictures available of the insides of exit signs, and very little information.This is what was found inside two signs in 2007, in a building built 1987 on the East coast of the US:

Most of the signs are incandescent, which have been converted to fluorescent:
 * At the top: three lamp sockets: empty, 120V6W, adapter
 * The 120V6W bulb seems to be some sort of backup incandescent, but not clear what would make it turn on.
 * The adapter is wired to a loose transformer sitting in the bottom, which is wired to a socket, which has a fluorescent lamp: Sylvania Dulux 9W CF9DS/827 ECO Italy Hg
 * Because this has been retrofitted, it looks like it would be very easy to remove the old kit and put in new LED retrofit kit.

There is one modern LED sign: Labelling:
 * A strip of 12 red LEDs at the top, pointed down.
 * At the bottom, a NiCd? 4xAA? battery pack; circuit board; transformer.
 * Underneath: LED indicator, test button.
 * TCP Cat. NO. 20743D (tcpi.com Ohio US)
 * 800-324-1496 Date code:0305 Made in China (2005)
 * Emergency Lighting and Power Equipment
 * Input: 120/277VAC 60HZ  .045A/.017A  (5.4/4.7 V-A)
 * Battery P/N.D-AA650Bx4
 * Relamp only with EX-800/810R(12) LED Strips

Made of white polycarbonate. It is bad that it contains NiCd batteries, which will have to be replaced every few years at a cost of about $10, and then recycled as hazardous waste. It is nice that the LED strip is modular, but the replacement part does not exist, and will be even harder to find in ten years.

The fluorescent sign is brighter than the LED, but the LED is bright enough (with only 12 LEDs), and more evenly illuminated. Neither sign makes any serious attempt to arrange the internal design to use the light efficiently, so much further improvement would be possible.

Both signs have almost no labelling on the outside, and so are tricky to figure out how to open. The old sign opens by pressing in at the top, and pushing the sign face up. The new sign opens by popping the front face off, by pressing tabs in underneath at each corner with a screwdriver, and prying there with a screwdriver. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.87.202.161 (talk) 13:39, 13 May 2007 (UTC).

UL 924
What regulations apply to EXIT signs?

Here is one, used in the US and Canada:
 * UL 924 - Emergency Lighting and Power Equipment
 * Table of Contents for UL 924
 * Vendors of Exit Sign Conversion Kits

Technical letters discussing regulatory standards: -69.87.199.228 20:24, 7 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Exitronix 2003
 * Gilbert Industries 2001

IEC 60598-2.22
International Regulation of emergency lighting

The International Electrotechnical Commision (IEC) is a global organisation that prepares and publishes international standards for electrical, electronic and related technologies. These serve as a basis for national standardization and as references when drafting international tenders and contracts.

One very important standard is part 1 of the IEC 60598, which specifies general requirement for luminaires incorporating electric light sources for operation from supply voltage up to 1000V. Section 22 of Part 2 (IEC60598-2.22) which is an additonal standard to part 1, specifiy requirements especially for emergency lighting including exit signs. This standard is the basis for all national regulations concerned with emergency lighting within the hole of Europe. Because it’s an international standard this should also apply on emergency lighting in Canada and the US.  Gonzaa6 23:53, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

Proposal for Change: Accessible Exit Sign Project and new accessible formats of the exit sign design
There's been a recent move towards providing a more accessible, socially inclusive exit sign design, based on universal design principals. The Accessible Exit Sign Project started in Australia in 2014 and has spread to New Zealand and the United States already. The proposed new exit sign design features an Accessible Means of Egress Icon, which includes an adaptation of the 'running man' with a new wheelchair symbol. The design is considered an enhanced version of the ISO 7010 and ISO 21542 accessible exit sign that shows the 'running man' and International Symbol of Access at the end of the sign. The 'running man' and wheelchair symbol essentially share the same upper torso and the design shows the two moving through the door together. The new format of exit signs are also in production in Australia featuring Braille and tactile lettering on each sign, being a good design for people that have low vision or are blind. The proposed design is intended to show where wheelchair accessible exit routes are. Just Google search for the Accessible Exit Sign Project to learn more about it, I really think the page needs to consider the need for signs for people with disability and the move towards these types of signs around the world. The design also meets the intent of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which requires signatory countries to consider the need for universal design in buildings. LeeWilsonAccess (talk) 11:37, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

Why not allow to showing Exit signs around the world
Exit signs have different design around the world and it is useful for the readers to see as reference. However, user Wtshymanski think that it is minor things. I think we should keep it.--Wpcpey (talk) 01:38, 9 April 2019 (UTC)


 * Per WP:IG: galleries of indiscriminate images that are not specifically referred to in the text of an article are discouraged.81.129.194.138 (talk) 11:30, 9 April 2019 (UTC)

Move discussion in progress
There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Exit Sign (song) which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 01:21, 28 January 2022 (UTC)