Regulations require your commercial building to have illuminated exit signs that will work even when the power goes out. This is an important regulation that has saved countless lives over the decades. But why stop there? With the same reliable and safe LED lights and the same (or additional) emergency power system, you can provide your employees with more than just strategically placed exit signs to get them out of the building in an emergency.
You can provide an entire LED emergency lighting system that can serve to reassure and guide your team members to the nearest safe zone when disaster strikes and the power goes out.
Today, we're here to talk about different ways to implement low-power emergency LED lights that go above and beyond the mandated minimum, because employee lives are worth it and you know how to take care of your team members.
One of the biggest problems in situations of power outages and building fires is that employees can't always see the nearest exit sign.
This is why a few forward-thinking employers invest in emergency pathway lighting hooked to a similar backup power system, guiding employees in every part of the building along the correct walkways toward the nearest emergency exit. You can even use arrows or 'marching LEDs' to show the correct direction to follow the path in heavy smoke.
Another way to make your exits more visible than a few glowing red letters is to outline the entire doorway in emergency-powered LEDs. A lit LED doorway is infinitely easier to identify and move toward in a dark or smoky disaster situation and it is impossible to mistake the emergency exits for anything other than the correct way to escape.
As an alternative, you can outline every doorway on the way out with LEDs, not just the doors that feature exit signs. This is even more important when you have glass walls that can cause confusion.
Exit pathways have been marked in the past with photoluminescent tape. But you can't guarantee tape will be effectively visible in a dark or smoky environment, or that it has been "charged up" ahead of time, as is necessary to make the tape glow in the dark.
Some workplaces have different types of emergencies to respond to. In an earthquake, for example, it may be safer to keep your employees inside your steel-reinforced and flexible building but they will need to know how and where to take cover. When you need alternate emergency protocols, or just want to provide more clarity, consider LED signs to help your employees know where to go and what to do to stay safe.
LED instructional symbols and safety precaution signs are common in workplaces with hazards like large machinery or scientific equipment. These employers take illuminated safety to the next level by providing LED shelter signs and safety directions based on the emergency at hand.
Finally, you have every reason to keep that flashing LED emergency guidance going once your employees get outside. Those marching LED lights that guided them out of the building can continue in solar or emergency-line- powered outdoor lights that illuminate the path toward whatever your building has designated as the rally point at a safe distance for fires and other disasters. You can also outline the rally point itself to help employees get as far from the danger as they need to be when leaving the building becomes necessary.
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As a responsible and compassionate employer, it's important to plan for emergencies beyond the mandatory minimum. LED lighting on emergency power is the go-to way to handle your emergency exit signs, and that same technology can be extended to provide your team the guidance they need to get out even when the exit signs are obscured or when smoke blocks their view. For more insights into emergency LED lighting and how it can be customized to your building and business, contact us today!