Is Your School or College “Signed Up” for Safety?

One of the obligations that’s possible to overlook when managing a busy education establishment is regular audits of safety signage. On the other hand, the problems and dangers faced by anyone responsible for large bodies of people – particularly in the event of an evacuation – are nowadays better known than ever before.

 

The entire UK has been provided with vivid and tragic examples of why moving people around and out of buildings quickly can save lives. Alongside this increasingly sensitive topic is a growing awareness of how building managers must provide equal access and care for students and staff with disabilities.

So, what do you need to do to ensure that your college or school safety signage is effective and up-to-date?

Regular Signage Checks

School and college managers are advised to timetable regular signage audits:

– Is all the interior signage still in place?
– Has it been tampered with in ways that render it unreadable?
– Is all signage fully visible to students and staff?

The exterior signage which flags up evacuation points and procedures needs to be checked to ensure that it is all present and correct. Is wayfinding signage managing the vehicle traffic flow well? Is signage at entrances and exits working effectively to keep access available in an emergency?

 

Compliance Check

Auditing school and college signage should also take into consideration whether it conforms to current ISO 7010 legislation. There should also be further consideration as to whether the signs are DDA compliant. Schools and colleges should bare in mind eye-friendly colour combination as well as raised tactile and braille features on signage.

Facility managers and local authorities are not obligated to update all signage in buildings to new variations. However, creating a uniform, clear signage system can mean a complete overhaul, rather than piecemeal adherence to different legislative standards.

 

Better Use of Resources in Schools and Colleges

Another reason to check and possibly replace safety and wayfinding signage in education buildings is to take advantage of new developments in design and manufacture.

Sign systems in the UK have evolved into something far more durable and vandal proof. A thorough audit of your school and college may mean staying one step ahead of the potential for older signage to sustain damage.

A more robust replacement can ensure you remain compliant, and safeguard your students, even in the face of the most determined efforts to vandalise signage. Plus, it provides future cost savings by having a longer lifespan.

 

A Professional Eye on Signage

Contact Select Sign Systems today to help analyse your particular educational organisation and provide the perfect sign system solution for you.