5 Things You Didn’t Know about Luminous Egress Path Markings
Luminous egress path marking isn’t a term you hear every day, and maybe something you haven’t even considered for your own facility! Now required by international fire, building and life safety codes, here are 5 things you may not have known about luminous egress path markings. Luminous egress path markings are a fail-safe option for emergency back up lighting.
1. Replaces the Need for Batteries
Thanks to the advanced photoluminescent technology utilized in luminous egress path markings, your emergency lighting no longer requires batteries or complicated wiring. After gaining a charge from a bright, consistent light source self-luminous lighting can glow for hours in the dark, operating completely independently of your building’s power source. With photoluminescent egress systems you do not have to worry about changing any batteries or dealing with wires and outlets. Once the product is installed, your job is complete!
2. Creates a Safer Exit Path
No one likes to think about the worst case scenario, such as a fire or other emergency. Usually this is left up to trained professionals, but why not take the safety of your facility into your own hands? Luminous egress systems can only add a level of safety to your facility because it creates a safe exit path for occupants to follow in the event of an emergency. Photoluminescent egress products glow in the dark, safely leading occupants to safety during a power outage, or even a smoke-filled area. Additionally, luminous egress path markings can decrease the risk of trips and falls in all lighting conditions, but especially in emergency egress.
In the 2001 World Trade Center Tower attacks, survivors noted the luminous egress path markings installed in the building helped aid in their escape.
3. Required by Building Codes Around the World
The International Building Codes and International Fire Codes are updated every three years, and depending on your city, your local Fire Marshal may require your building to comply with either the 2009, 2012, 2015, or 2018 code, which all require the installation of luminous egress path markings. Luminous egress code compliance is required in most new and current high-rise buildings that are over 75 feet or 7 stories. Don’t forget to check with your cities current master code adoptions to ensure your building is up to code!
4. Materials Matter
Perhaps a common misconception of luminous egress path markings is idea that any glow in the dark material will suffice. That isn’t necessarily true. Some photoluminescent products suffer from particles settling and then end up producing an unreliable, unsteady light source. Many photoluminescent exit signs and luminous egress path markings are made using tritium, which is a radioactive material.
Photoluminescent paint and glow in the dark tapes have been used for luminous egress path markings, but these products can wear out quicker from the pedestrian traffic in your building, and need to be replaced more frequently.
5. A Product for every Occasion
Have you ever attended a concert and had trouble finding your seat in a huge arena? The aisle and chair markers in these spaces are usually tiny and hard to see. Photoluminescent aisle markers take out the guess work of finding your seat. These are installed either at the end of an aisle, or directly onto each seat, and glow in the dark so the indicating number is easy to spot. Even if you arrive late, you won’t be lost in the dark searching for that seat that’s on your ticket!
ecoglo®’s expertly engineered and carefully manufactured luminous egress path markings are unlike any other product on the market! Our patented manufacturing process utilizes a dry powder that is embedded into our photoluminescent egress products. The tightly controlled application method embeds photoluminescent particles in a clear durable polymer, that visibly glows for hours. Our luminous egress systems are charged by natural or artificial light and will glow for up to 8 hours before another charge is required, and can even be charged in poorly lit areas.
To enhance the safety of every step, our photoluminescent strips can be bonded in a tough aluminum stair nosing paired with a non-slip strip to not only enhance step edge visibility but to provide anti-slip protection.
Because Ecoglo® is an industry leader in the photoluminescent egress realm, our product offering is extremely complex in order to guarantee that we have the perfect luminous egress systems for each of our customer’s individual compliance needs. For example, our flat stair nosings are available in 13 different widths, sizes, and varying styles, so we are sure to have the best product for your facility here at Ecoglo®.
Our directional signage line was created to show occupants exactly where the emergency exit is located incase of an emergency.