Every doorway or other exit providing access to a means of escape, other than exits in ordinary use, should be provided with an exit sign. Installation of signs conforming to British Standard 5499 will satisfy this requirement.

Illumination of signs
Exit signs should be legible at all material times. In premises where emergency lighting has been considered necessary for means of escape purposes, such signs should be illuminated by the emergency lighting supply in the event of a failure of the normal lighting. Any of the following methods are considered suitable :

• lamps external to the sign but providing adequate illumination of it
• lamps contained within the sign (internally illuminated signs), or
• luminous signs requiring no external power source.

These signs are used to mark the location of fire-fighting equipment and fire alarm activation points. However, where possible, fire equipment should be positioned where it is clearly visible. The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals)

Regulations 1996 require red to be used as the identifying colour for fire-fighting equipment. If the equipment itself is red this will satisfy the requirement. Where it is not red then highlighting the position of fire-fighting equipment, by colouring the background behind the equipment red, may be enough to comply.

Fire equipment signs consist of a red rectangle or square with the pictogram in white positioned centrally on the sign.