Designing Fire Escape Signage in Commercial Buildings

Legal Requirements, British Standards & Fire Risk Assessments Explained

Fire escape signage is a critical life safety measure in all commercial and non-domestic buildings. Yet it is frequently misunderstood, poorly designed, or installed without reference to the fire risk assessment.

If your fire risk assessment has identified deficiencies in escape signage, this should be treated as a priority fire safety action, not a cosmetic improvement.

Incorrect or inadequate fire escape signage can delay evacuation, cause confusion, and expose the Responsible Person to legal enforcement under fire safety legislation.

Fire Escape Signage Legal Requirements (UK)

Under Article 14 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person must ensure that:

  • Emergency routes and exits are suitable for the premises
  • Escape routes are kept available and unobstructed
  • Fire escape routes and exits are clearly indicated by appropriate signs

This legal duty applies to all non-domestic premises, including offices, warehouses, shops, factories, and shared areas of multi-occupied buildings.

Fire escape signage must allow occupants to identify escape routes quickly and without assistance, even where they are unfamiliar with the building.

What Is Fire Escape Signage?

Fire escape signage includes:

  • Final exit signs
  • Directional escape route signs
  • Signs guiding occupants along corridors, stairwells, and changes of direction

In short, any sign that directs people to a place of safety forms part of the escape signage system.

BS 5499-4: The British Standard for Escape Route Signage

The recognised code of practice for fire escape signage design is:

BS 5499-4:2013 – Safety Signs. Code of Practice for Escape Route Signing

This standard states that where a direct line of sight to an exit is not available, directional signs or a series of signs must be provided.

Key principles include:

  • No ambiguity at decision points
  • Clear signage at changes of direction and level
  • A consistent, logical escape route signing system

Random or minimal signage does not meet the intent of the standard.

Factors That Must Be Considered When Designing Fire Escape Signage

BS 5499-4 requires an analysis of the building and how it is used before signage is installed or redesigned, including:

  • Type and use of the premises
  • The fire evacuation strategy
  • Occupant familiarity with the building
  • Locations of higher fire risk
  • Visibility of escape routes and exits
  • Interaction with other fire safety systems
  • Emergency lighting provision
  • Disabled and inclusive evacuation needs

The aim is to ensure unassisted evacuation, even under stress or reduced visibility.

Sign Location, Size and Viewing Distance

Escape route signs should be:

  • Clearly visible within the normal field of vision
  • Positioned at junctions, corridor intersections, stairways and level changes

Sign size must be calculated based on viewing distance using BS EN ISO 7010, ensuring symbols are legible in real-world conditions.

Undersized or poorly positioned signs are a common fire risk assessment failure.

Fire Escape Signage and Emergency Lighting

Fire escape signage must remain visible during a fire, including during power failure or smoke conditions.

Depending on the premises, this may require:

  • Emergency lighting to illuminate signage
  • Internally illuminated fire exit signs
  • Additional signage where smoke spread could obscure visibility

A sign that cannot be seen in an emergency is not compliant in practice, even if it looks correct during normal operation.

Why Fire Escape Signage Depends on the Fire Risk Assessment

Fire escape signage must always be informed by a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.

A competent fire risk assessment:

  • Confirms escape routes and exits
  • Determines evacuation strategy
  • Identifies high-risk areas
  • Defines signage type, location, size and illumination

Designing or altering signage without a current fire risk assessment is guesswork and difficult to defend if challenged by enforcing authorities.

🔥 Book a Fire Risk Assessment with The Fire Safety Company

If your fire escape signage has been flagged during an inspection, altered without professional advice, or hasn’t been reviewed recently, now is the time to act.

👉 The Fire Safety Company provides professional fire risk assessments that:

  • Verify fire escape routes and signage compliance
  • Identify deficiencies before enforcement action
  • Provide clear, practical, no-nonsense recommendations

📞 Call 01748 811992
📧 Email: hello@firesafetycompany.com

Fire escape signage done properly — backed by a competent fire risk assessment.