Exit sign

[RF Lighting]

I’ve got an emergency light to replace, but I’m unsure as to which direction I should fit the arrow to point at.

The current convention in this building is an up arrow above a through door.

To use this fire exit, you must take three steps up, go through the door onto the external fire escape. Take two steps forward and then turn left and follow the staircase to the ground via another half landing and a 180° turn.

Which way would you fit the arrow?

I’ve removed the existing arrow so as not to influence your decision!

 

[EFLImpudence]

I would say it only relates to the door, so should be up.

Another on the stairs pointing down left ???


Does anyone think fire escapes would be up to escape?

 

[Swwils]

I would have an uninformed guess at down arrow as stairs down immediately outside and this is probably confusing as other final exits will have up arrow if no stairs outside. Double confusion due to the euro style signs you can get with it the other way up aswell.

Fa.org have a gallery of funny ones here.

Let us know the right answer!

 

[sparkymarka]

Down

 

[sparkwright]

I've always thought it a daft concept to have the arrow pointing up to indicate just going through a door.

In my mind down is best.

But of course, if the other exits have the arrow pointing up, there is a need to be consistent.

The arrow going up would imply you have to climb up the emergency stairs.

You could copy the original sign.

Common sense has to be down, doesn't it?

Isn't there an alternative sign which includes a picture of a few steps and a diagonal arrow?

 

[SUNRAY]

I you were to approach a road sign something like this:

What do YOU expect it to mean?

 

[EFLImpudence]

Same as this? Presumably not.

 

[mattylad]

It should go down.
An up arrow means "that escape is forward and straight on or forward and straight up".
An arrow pointing down means escape is in a downward direction and is commonly used within a staircase enclosure although will still apply here, the 3 steps can be ignored - a down arrow basically means go through the door below the sign and head down.

The signs with either of the diagonal arrows on means that escape is down and to the side (for example, to a ramp or stair on the right hand side of the viewing position). A diagonal up arrow would mean up and to the side, though up arrows can also mean progress across the room and to the side (for example, from one corner to the other).

 

[333rocky333]

Arrow up, if there was a step down the other side of the door then arrow down to warn of that
Left arrow dont apply as the left is the other side of the door.

I quess should also include the words FIRE EXIT, to prevent confusion with a normal exit and technically another Left arrow outside, as its classed as a change of direction.
There should also be a light outside anyway, usually back to back to prevent stepping out to darkness

Surprised you can still get them signs , I was told Exit signs were on there way out

 

[EFLImpudence]

 

[JohnW2]

An up arrow means "that escape is forward and straight on or forward and straight up".
An arrow pointing down means escape is in a downward direction and is commonly used within a staircase enclosure although will still apply here, the 3 steps can be ignored - a down arrow basically means go through the door below the sign and head down.
The signs with either of the diagonal arrows on means that escape is down and to the side (for example, to a ramp or stair on the right hand side of the viewing position). A diagonal up arrow would mean up and to the side, though up arrows can also mean progress across the room and to the side (for example, from one corner to the other).

The trouble is that it's all very well making all these statements (which may even be 'officially defined' somewhere) about what different arrows "mean" but the reality is that their sole purpose is to be meaningful, in a crisis/panic situation, to members of the general public who will never have seen, let alone read, any lists of such definitions - and (as witness the fact that RF has asked the question) without the meaning of any of the arrows being necessarily 'obvious'.

I would have thought that, in practice, it does not make an iota of difference which direction the arrow points, since people will probably not even attempt to 'interpret' them specifically. If the sign is above, or adjacent to, a door and if (as rocky is suggested) it is clearly labelled "Fire Exit" or "Emergency Exit", in such a 'crisis' situation, those people wishing to 'escape' will go through the door and then 'follow their noses' (and/or further signs), regardless of where any arrows were pointing

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

I was once told thats the main reason for door signs to be permanently lit, as when people enter a room, there brain subconsciously sees the signs and in an emergency they know where they are instinctively and will head for them and go through them, as they did pre arrow days.

I think the main need for arrows is really at a T junction, Arrow downs good warning if you come out a building and theres a drop, but it will be years before the UP and DOWN become uniform.
I still see plain EXIT signs that were outlawed pre 2000

When working at Westfields you get lost in the service areas and often I try and use the arrows to quide me out, however sometimes they just lead to an alarmed door

 

[SUNRAY]

Same as this? Presumably not.

View attachment 219675

Sarcasm noted. Funny thing is the first hit I got on Google for traffic signs was a foreign site and after I flipped it in paint and posted it I wondered if I should have left it as it was for driving on the right.

 

[EFLImpudence]

No, not sarcasm.

I just thought that too obvious, it must have been something else - as it was being debated whether an exit sign meaning proceed should have the arrow pointing up or down.

 

[JohnW2]

I was once told thats the main reason for door signs to be permanently lit, as when people enter a room, there brain subconsciously sees the signs and in an emergency they know where they are instinctively and will head for them and go through them, as they did pre arrow days.

Quite. As I said, in general people will pay little/no attention to the 'arrows' - not the least because they don't know what they mean.

I think the main need for arrows is really at a T junction,

Sure, but that's different - I was specifically talking about signs above or adjacent to doors.

Arrow downs good warning if you come out a building and theres a drop ...

Except that, as I said, I don't think many members of the public would have a clue that it was indicating 'a drop' ... and, in any event, should there really be significant 'drops' in escape routes??

Kind Regards, John