Exit sign
Over each exit door, the first sign a person looks for — photoluminescent so it reads with the power off.
Photoluminescent safety signs
Photoluminescent exit and fire safety signs — signs that keep working when the power fails
Photoluminescent signs absorb light and glow when the lights go out, so exits, escape routes and fire equipment can still be found in a power failure or smoke. In Abu Dhabi, ADOSH-SF CoP 17.0 colours escape routes and exits green and firefighting equipment red, places the exit sign immediately above the exit opening, and defers the detail to the UAE Fire & Life Safety Code. Dubai’s construction safety code requires exit signs of a stored-energy type that emit light when the power shuts off.
A green exit sign glowing in a dark corridor, a glowing low-level floor strip with arrows, and a fire extinguisher sign
- Green
- Escape doors, exits and escape routes — CoP 17.0 Table 3
- Red
- Firefighting equipment — CoP 17.0 Table 3
- Above the exit
- Exit sign position — CoP 17.0 §3.9.2
- Stored energy
- Exit signs that glow on power loss — Dubai code §6.2
Sign types
The set a building or site needs comes from its fire risk assessment and approved fire drawings; these are the types those drawings call up.
Directional exit sign
Exit with an arrow, placed along the route wherever the exit itself cannot be seen.
Fire extinguisher sign
Red identification above or beside the extinguisher, so it can be found in smoke.
Fire hose reel and call point signs
Red identification for hose reels and manual fire alarm call points.
Low-level wayfinding strip
Glowing strips and arrows along walls or floors, below the smoke layer, leading to the exit.
Evacuation plan
Floor plan with a “you are here” point, the escape routes, the equipment and the assembly point.
Sizes used in the UAE
These are the sizes sold for each sign in the UAE. The fire drawings and the viewing distance decide which one goes where.
| Sign | Common size | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Exit, wall or over door | 600 × 250 mm | Also 350 × 150 mm for corridors |
| Fire extinguisher | 200 × 200 mm | Also 150 × 200 mm photoluminescent sticker |
| Fire alarm call point | 150 × 150 mm | |
| Fire hose reel | 150 × 200 mm | Photoluminescent |
| Assembly point | 500 × 500 mm | Outdoor, on a post |
| Evacuation plan | A3 or A2 | Sized so the routes can be read |
Dubai’s construction safety code asks for exit sign letters at least 15 cm high. Size the exit sign around its text, not the other way round.
Specification
| Item | Typical specification |
|---|---|
| Face | Photoluminescent film or sheet, printed with the sign |
| Backing | Rigid PVC, aluminium or self-adhesive, by location |
| Colours | Green for escape, red for fire equipment — CoP 17.0 |
| Text | Arabic and English |
| Fixing | Wall, door, ceiling-hung or floor-level, as the drawing shows |
| Charging | Needs ambient light to charge; position where normal lighting reaches it |
What the codes say
ADOSH-SF CoP 17.0 §3.9
Fire signage placed after a fire risk assessment, following the Abu Dhabi Building Codes and the UAE Fire & Life Safety Code. Red: firefighting equipment. Green: escape doors, exits and routes.
CoP 17.0 §3.9.2
Exit sign immediately above the exit opening, or where it is least likely to be obscured by smoke; directional arrows along the route where the exit cannot be seen.
DM Code §6.2(7)–(8)
Exit signs of a stored-energy type that emit light when the power shuts off; legible letters at least 15 cm high.
UAE Fire & Life Safety Code
Governs exit signs and escape-route marking in buildings. Exit and directional signs and evacuation plans are installed through Civil Defence-approved contractors under an approved consultant.
What to include in a request
The approved fire drawing is the schedule.
- The fire and life safety drawing, or a sign schedule from it
- Sign types and quantities per floor
- Fixing: wall, door, ceiling-hung or floor-level
- Evacuation plans: floor plans and the assembly point
- Arabic and English wording
- Building or site, and the inspection date if any
Questions about photoluminescent signs
What colour are exit and fire equipment signs in Abu Dhabi?
Green for escape doors, exits and escape routes; red for firefighting equipment — ADOSH-SF CoP 17.0, Table 3.
Where does the exit sign go?
Immediately above the exit opening, or where it is least likely to be obscured by smoke. Where the exit cannot be seen, directional exit signs with arrows go along the route — CoP 17.0 §3.9.2.
Do exit signs need to glow without power?
Dubai’s construction safety code requires exit signs of a stored-energy type that emit light when the power shuts off, and CoP 17.0 requires a back-up for any sign that needs power. Photoluminescent signs do this without wiring.
How large should the exit lettering be?
Dubai’s construction safety code sets at least 15 cm for exit sign letters. In buildings, the fire code and the approved drawings set the requirement.
Who installs exit signs in a building?
In buildings, exit and directional signs and evacuation plans are installed through Civil Defence-approved contractors under an approved consultant, to the approved fire drawings.
More site signage
Site OSH notice boardADOSH-SF CoP 53.1Project QR code boardDMT, since October 2024Safety signsISO 7010 · ADOSH-SF CoP 17.0Site hoardingTemporary fence licence · DM Circular 12-4-1Scaffold & facade meshDM Circular 12-4-1 · DM Code Ch. 8Work-zone traffic signs & barricadesWork-zone traffic management manuals · DM Code Ch. 6Oil & gas site signsCoP 17.0 §3.8 · project specificationsDubai project signboardDM Circular 11-1-1
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