Emergency Exit Signs and Lights: Regulations and Types

Detailed rules ensure that exit signs and emergency lights remain easy to see in an emergency

Exit signs and emergency lights facilitate safe evacuation from even the most complicated buildings. When a fire or natural disaster leaves buildings without power, these signs remain intact and illuminated, guiding those inside to safety.

In this article, we’ll explain what life safety code and federal law expect from exit signs and emergency lights. We’ll address some common concerns when selecting an exit light, and take a look at code-compliant products designed to meet safety needs in today’s buildings.

Already know what emergency exit light you want? Feel free to click here to view our selection of emergency exit signs and emergency lights.

The NFPA and OSHA have similar requirements for externally-illuminated exit signs

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) developed standards for emergency exit signs after a massive blaze killed nearly 150 people in a Manhattan garment factory. By the 1940s, the NFPA published those recommendations, which were gradually made part of state and local fire codes. These local codes, along with workplace standards from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), govern the use of today’s exit signs and lights.

OSHA requires employers to install plainly-visible signs at all exits. Employers must also provide sufficient lighting along exit routes. To ensure visibility at all times, exit signs must have distinctive coloring and reliable illumination. These signs must be illuminated to a surface value of 5 foot-candles, which is roughly the minimum recommended brightness in a parking garage.

The NFPA sets out illumination and visibility requirements for exit signs and lights in NFPA 101: Life Safety Code. NFPA and OSHA requirements overlap: both require that externally illuminated exit signs have 5 foot-candles of illumination. Both treat visibility, continuous illumination, and contrast as the cornerstones of functioning exit light or sign.