“Don’t use elevators in fires is one of the most successful public education [safety] campaigns in history,” added Jason D. Averill, an expert on fire safety for NIST.  This idea brought about some of Emedco’s most successful signs in glow-in-the-dark and standard sign material – ‘In case of fire, do not use elevators, use stairways’ signs. But due to the events of Sept. 11 and taller buildings sprouting up all over the globe, elevators are being looked at as  safe evacuation option in mass evacuations, especially fires. Major national safety organizations, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), are preparing or proposing standards for the use of elevators in high-rise evacuations.

The elevator push comes after years of analysis of the Twin Towers showed how inadequate stairs were, said Edwin Galea, a professor at the University of Greenwich in England.  NFPA’s life safety code published in 2009 states elevators should be in “noncombustible hoistway” with fire resistant shafts separate from the building.

Currently there is no federal building code that includes elevators in an evacuation process so states and cities are coming up with their own requirements. For example, New York City requires all new high-rise construction to include impact-resistant fire stairs and stairwells must be spaced away from each other.  Also, protected/hardened elevator shafts and vestibules should be available where people can safely wait until it is their turn to evacuate.

It’s important to remember that the use of elevators is still being considered. Take the stairs in case of an emergency in most buildings.

It was discovered that the company cut corners in order to capitalize on a $19 million incentive if the project was finished ahead of schedule. According to SafetyNewsAlert.com, in the weeks and months leading up to the explosion, employees were working seven-day, 84-hour weeks.

A U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigation reported the explosion was most likely caused during a routine practice of cleaning gas fuel piping by using natural gas. The gas found an ignition source, presumably by sparks caused by welding and other work that was being performed nearby.

The explosion at the construction site was felt 40 miles away.

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Let’s break this down:

1. How do you alert employees including workers who may be hearing impaired? Try a dual Audible and Visual Signal Light that blasts a warning but also blinks brightly enough to catch everyone’s attention.

2. Evacuating and taking action is the easy part! Line your evacuation route with Exit Signs and Glow in the Dark Tape. Do not block fire extinguishers so they are easily visible. Establish a meeting place outside the building and make sure all employees know where it is and to whom to report once they get there.

3. Create an easy and fast way for employees to report emergencies. This procedure works well: in each department, identify an emergency point person and a backup.  The emergency point person is in charge of his/her department roster and ensures all employees from the department have left the building and arrived at the evacuation point. This person should also be the first point of contact for reporting emergencies.  Your emergency point person will contact the other departments to report the emergency and from that point, your company will begin to follow your emergency evacuation plan.

Follow the simple steps above to instantly comply with OSHA regulations.  Avoid fines or worse- injuries and lost time.

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Above are a series of photos showing a stairwells and an exit door in light and dark conditions. In each of these photos, you can clearly see the use of Emedco’s Glow-In-The-Dark Tapes and a couple Glow-In-The-Dark Signs.  The difference between the photos in the light and in the dark are striking – the Tapes are so bright, no other light is needed in the darkened stairwell.  During an evacuation, every second is crucial -by choosing products that glow in the dark, you’re making your exit routes safer for every person in your building.

Every building is required to mark evacuation routes in case of an emergency – why not do it with style?

Emedco has a line of Interior Decor Signs that not only glow in the dark for safer evacuations, but contain braille for the visually impaired.  Basically you’re getting 3 signs in 1!

Why these signs are great:

1. Interior Decor signs are Emedco’s upscale sign, perfect for offices or really any place that has a nicer image than the inside of  a warehouse.
2. Adding Grade II Braille makes these signs compliant with ADA which improves the safety of the visually impaired who work or visit your building.
3. Glo-Mor glow-in-the-dark material lights these signs up for over 6 hours and they meet 5 safe evacuation regulations.

The Glo-Mor Braille Interior Signs cannot be scratched or defaced, and they are safer in an emergency than standard non-glow signs.

• Fire extinguishers and accessories
• Fire equipment marking & inspection tags
• Evacuation route marking
• Evacuation assembly area essentials
• and many more!

Developing an effective, safe evacuation plan needs to happen before the emergency.  Here are some steps to get you started:

1. Do your due diligence: Investigate your facility – mark exit routes, block off a spot in your parking lot for your evacuation assembly area, create an evacuation policy.
2. Update your emergency equipment and marking products: Get what you don’t have! Refer to my blogs “Create a complete exit, fire & evacuation guidance system” and “Create a safe haven with Evacuation Assembly Area products” for essential products and tips.
3. Put Evacuation Leads in place: Choose one individual from every department to be the Evacuation Lead for that department.  This person must complete your training and be ready to lead and keep track of his/her department in an emergency situation.
4. Train the rest of your staff: Go over your policy with all employees in the building. Ensure they know evacuation routes and correct procedure when exiting the building and entering the evacuation assembly area.
5. Practice! Choose days for drills and enforce your evacuation policy. Go one step further and block an exit door with a “fake fire”, forcing your employees to use their knowledge of other exit routes in your facility.
6. Debrief after each drill: Learn from problems and mistakes, adjust your policy and procedures as needed.

The goal of every evacuation plan is to get all employees to the evacuation assembly area safely and quickly.  Follow these steps to get your business on the right track.  Bad situations don’t give notice – be ready for anything!

“NFPA 1600 establishes a common, high level set of criteria for disaster and emergency management and business continuity programs to develop, implement, assess, and maintain these programs. The programs address management, planning, prevention, mitigation, implementation, response, recovery, testing and improvement.”

A major difference between the 2010 version and the 2007 version is omission of one chapter: Program Elements, and the creation of new chapters: Planning, Implementation, Testing and Exercise, and Program Improvement.  The contents of 2007′s Program Elements chapter was broken down and added to these new chapters, then expanded upon.

Chapter 4 – Program Management, has been elaborated to create specific guidelines for individuals who are leaders for their company’s disaster and emergency plans. Leadership and commitment has been added to this chapter along with performance objectives, finance and administration, and records management.

Chapter 5 – Planning, includes planning process, risk assessment (carried over from the former chapter 5), business impact analysis, mitigation, and more.

Chapter 6 – Implementation, includes much of what was Chapter 5 in 2007 along with new additions: employee assistance and support, Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), training and education.

Chapter 7 – Testing and Exercises reminds Emergency Leaders that practice makes perfect when it comes to implementing an evacuation plan.

Chapter 8 – Program Improvement has been added in order to recognize that emergency plans are “working” documents. As regulations and recommendations are updated by NFPA or there are changes in personnel at your facility, your emergency policy must be updated accordingly.   This chapter also calls for reviews after each incident to reevaluate your program and learn from lessons.

2010′s 1600 seems like a more thought-out version than the 2007 1600. Please make your safety officers aware of these updated changes.  Well-practiced emergency procedures keep employees safe from injury or even death – do not take these recommendations lightly.

Source: nfpa.org

…neither will likely be used by the United States although they’re used by most of the world. In an article by Julia Turner, the US is nearly alone in its use of red-lettered Exit signs, just as we’re alone in using miles instead of kilometers.

The rest of the world uses the “running man”, a pictorial sign showing a man running through a door – in green – the international color meaning “go”, and in this case GO NOW! Tuner says, “In most places in the United States, its safe to assume people speak English…our sign systems have typically communicated in text. Europe, by contrast, developed symbolic road signs…On a continent where you can’t drive more than a few hours before encountering a new language, the pictorial approach made sense.”

The red Exit sign was developed in 1911 after a fire in a garment warehouse killed 146 workers because exit doors were bolted shut but also not clearly marked. Although the US began adopting pictograms on a smaller scale in 1974, the Exit sign remained in text. The current “running man” sign was created by a Japanese designer named Yukio Ota, whose design beat out a very similar design by a Soviet designer. Neither knew the other design was a man running through a door, meaning the rest of the world was already thinking in pictorials.

Turner interviewed a prominent member of the NFPA who says the National Fire Protection Association sees no need to change the red lettered Exit sign used in the United States. Although we may never switch from text to pictogram exclusively, some areas are requiring both signs to be posted. New York City changed its building codes for high rises in 2006 to include the “running man” on all fire doors.

Luckily for Emedco customers, we offer both the standard, familiar text Exit Sign, and the widely accepted “running man” pictogram sign. It’s my opinion that until the green “running man” is more widely accepted in the United States, you should stick to NFPA’s guidelines and place red-lettered text Exit signs in your facility. But, who knows – maybe labeling your exit doors with the green man will start the trend that gets him racing across our country.