Category Archives: Emergency Lighting

The Exit Light Company Blog | Emergency Lighting

A Brief History of the EXIT Sign

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They are everywhere! “EXIT Signs” are so ubiquitous that most people rarely ever pay attention to them. Even so, all public buildings (restaurants, offices, and even large residential buildings like hotels or multi-unit condos) are required to have emergency lighting and exit signage to clearly illuminate egress locations and provide well-lit, easy to follow direction to them. In the event of an emergency, when every second counts, they provide a potentially life-saving path to quickly get out of the building.

Yet these signs did not exist a little over 100 years ago. It took a deadly industrial accident, one of the worst in American history, to bring about the changes to code and regulations resulting in the EXIT sign.

On March 25, 1911 a fire burst out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, located on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the Asch building in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. This event would go down in history as one of the deadliest fires ever, with 146 garment workers losing their lives. 

Many of those who died fell or leapt to their deaths, being unable to get out of the burning areas of the building. It turned out that the stairwell doors had been padlocked, a common practice of the times, to discourage employees from stealing product or leaving early.

The resulting media coverage and public outcry led to the establishment of new fire safety regulations including new standards regarding building egress.

Following the recommendations of the state commission, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) ratified codes for the first Exit signs. The NFPA had been founded in 1895 by a coalition of Insurance companies. Their purpose was to establish a standardized set of guidelines to help reduce and hopefully eliminate death, injury and economic loss caused by fire. The NFPA guidelines and codes were codified into the basic building codes and standards used throughout the US today. Similar regulations are also used throughout the world.

The Exit Light Company has compiled some useful history and data behind the various codes and regulations. [ https://www.exitlightco.com/Fire-Codes-Regulations.html ]

So the next time you are in a public building, take a minute to look around and make note of the exit signs. Remember, they are there for your safety.

Home Security and Safety – Don’t forget the Basics

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Home security isn’t just locks on a door or an alarm system. It’s also about feeling safe, and one of the simplest ways to do that is to have adequate lighting. While many homes are well-lit, they are limited by one thing, having a home that is connected to a functioning power grid. As recent events in Texas have shown, even living in a modern, first world city does not protect against long lasting power outages.

Having working lighting is something we all take for granted. It allows up to see what is going on around our house, and allows us to move safely from room to room. It also lets others know that this house is occupied, and that visitors (especially unwanted visitors) will easily be seen.

The best lighting is lighting that you don’t have to think about. Easily and affordably improve security and safety by adding emergency lighting to your home. Even during a power outage the following products let you see what’s going on and allow you to safely navigate your surroundings.

Our Emergency Table Lamp provides easy emergency lighting for up to 200 hours, but can also be picked up and used as a portable light source. As an added feature, it can be used as a battery source for any other device that can charge from USB, USB-C, micro-USB or lighting connectors (via included 3-in-1 USB charging cable). It even includes a bottom hook for easy mounting, so setting up several of these for lighting larger areas is a snap.

Even a basic source of lighting, such as a flashlight, can be invaluable and provide a much needed sense of security. View our entire line of residential emergency lighting products. Some of these lights even stay permanently plugged in (to stay charged) and turn on automatically in the event of power failure.

Finally, make sure you know:

1) Where your emergency lights are located. Make sure you return your lights to where they belong after use.

 2) That the battery is charged. Regularly check that the emergency light works (once a quarter). Even though a device is plugged in, it may not be getting power, for example (imagine fumbling around in the dark for a flashlight or, even worse, batteries).

With a little bit of planning you will find that surprisingly affordable solutions are available to help keep your home safe and secure, and well lit.

For additional safety and security suggestions, please check out the following article we were featured in at https://www.redfin.com/blog/fortify-home-without-alarm/.

The Exit Light Company, Inc.

Emergency Lights for Homes

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The Exit Light Company is proud to feature a selection of Emergency Lighting for Homes. These multi-purpose lanterns and flashlights are kept ready through standard AC outlet or USB charging ports, and can provide hours of light in the event of power outages. For longer outages, they can be further recharged with USB power banks or direct solar.

Home Emergency Lighting

These multi-function devices are useful for more than just emergency backup lighting. They provide plenty of light for camping and hiking, or can even function as everyday work/task lights, as well.

Power Outage at Home – Are You Prepared?

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Many of us have been in a situation when the power goes out at home. Sometimes this happens during daylight hours, but it can also happen at night. In most cases power is restored within an hour or two, but in extreme cases the outage may last for several hours or even days.   In 2019 alone, power outages have left over 15 million people without power in the United States alone (eia.gov) .  This can be due to storm damage, rolling blackouts (in place in several states throughout the U.S.) or even massive power grid failures. In public areas and workplaces, laws require emergency preparedness for the safety of the public, but are you prepared at home?

Continue reading “Power Outage at Home – Are You Prepared?” »

Emergency Lighting 101 – Crash Course

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Emergency Lighting encompasses Emergency Light Fixtures, Exit Signs, Exit Sign + Light Combos and more. These units often go unnoticed until they are needed. Neglecting your facilities emergency lighting is a decision that could put you in risk of fine, legal action or serious danger for you or your patrons. What rules govern emergency lighting? What should I know post-purchase?

There are a number of regulations or codes that are imposed on Emergency Lights and Exit Signs from various authorities such as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). Additionally, your local jurisdiction may impose their own codes and requirements for emergency lighting. Your local Fire Marshal or Inspector is your go-to resource for understanding these code requirements.

Continue reading “Emergency Lighting 101 – Crash Course” »

About Certification Marks

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You see them on every piece of electronics you buy — whether for personal use, business, or work. But what does that stamped UL, ETL, or CSA indicate? These are Certification Marks, and they provide assurance that you can rely on a standard of safety and performance from the products. All products sold in the United States must pass through a battery of tests performed by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) to prove that the product meets or exceeds national safety standards. Products that pass this inspection and testing process carry the Certification Mark for the laboratory that provided the testing (UL for Underwriter’s Laboratories, ETL for Intertek Testing Services, and CSA for Canadian Standards Association). It doesn’t matter which mark the product carries, as long as it is from one of the organizations that are recognized by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).

 

You can be assured that all products which carry an OSHA recognized NRTL mark will comply with the various safety codes (buidling codes, electrical safety codes, municipal codes and fire codes), has been thoroughly tested by third party laboratories to strict specifications, and complies with all current standards.

 

All emergency lighting and exit signs sold by The Exit Light Company carry Certification Marks. Please see our FAQs to learn more about Certification Marks and NRTLs.

The Exit Light Company Recognized Again for Providing Excellent Customer Satisfaction

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The Exit Light Company Receives 2017 Spectrum Award for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction

It’s a three-peat! For the third year in a row, The Exit Light Company has been awarded with the prestigious Spectrum Award for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction.

 

The Spectrum Award of Excellence in Customer Satisfaction was established to spotlight companies and business professionals providing exceptional service and experiences to their clients and customers.

 

The Exit Light Company appreciates that our efforts at providing exceptional products with exceptional service are recognized. We will continue to strive for excellent customer satisfaction.

The Exit Light Company Recognized for Providing Excellent Customer Satisfaction

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The Exit Light Company Receives 2016 Spectrum Award for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction

For the second year in a row, The Exit Light Company has been awarded with the prestigious Spectrum Award for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction.

 

In partnership with The Stirling Center for Excellence, City Beat News (CBN) recognizes companies that provide an outstanding customer experience and honors them with the Spectrum Award. Winners are based on CBN’s independent, proprietary research and evaluation system, which identifies businesses with a track record of top-flight customer service and customer satisfaction. The rating system combines data collected from nominations, online and other customer reviews, surveys, blogs, social networks, business-rating services, and other honors and accolades — all of which express the voice of the customer.

 

The Exit Light Company appreciates that our efforts at providing exceptional service with exceptional products are recognized. We will continue to strive for excellent customer satisfaction.

Emergency Evacuation Awareness

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Welcome to our blog series featuring Topics for Safety meetings. Every year in America, nearly 4 million people suffer a workplace injury from which some may never recover.* So while we may immediately assume that safety meetings are best conducted in hazardous workplaces, it is necessary to have frequent safety meetings in any type of workplace environment. These posts are designed for the business owner, safety officer or any compliance related professional to use as a building block for their own safety meetings and are not to be used as a final resource for safety compliance laws or regulations.

 

As a supplier of exit and emergency lighting, it is logical for us to start this series with emergency evacuation awareness. Preparation for an emergency incident plays a vital role in ensuring that employers and workers have the necessary equipment, know where to go and how to stay safe when an emergency does occur. Before presenting this topic to employees at your safety meeting, ask yourself: Do I know the who, what, when and where of our emergency evacuation procedure? Make copies of the evacuation routes at your facility to hand out. For a small facility, repeated evacuation drills may not be necessary, but a quick walk-through every few months will help ensure that all employees receive the same information run through.

 

Show the employees the type of exit signs or emergency egress signs in use at your facility. Do you have signage indicating there is a stairwell to use? Is there an area of refuge for handicapped persons and is it marked? Are Braille signs appropriately used? This will help you assess the needs of your employees and make sure that your signage and procedures are up to date. Even if your signage is perfectly adequate per your local building standards, drawing attention to them will increase awareness and therefore preparedness in an emergency situation.

Historical Influences on Emergency Requirements

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Tragedies such as the Bangladesh Clothing Factory Fire earlier this week highlight the need for emergency preparedness, including proper exit signage and emergency egress lighting. Unfortunately, a number of similar tragedies have shaped the laws and requirements throughout the United States:

 

 
  • On February 2, 1860 the six-story Elm Street Tenement in New York City caught fire killing 20. This fire along with a similar earlier fire led to a state law, the first in the nation, requiring fire escapes on all buildings over 6 stories, and multiple exits in new buildings.
  • On January 13, 1908, fire during a stage play at the Rhoads Opera House in Boyertown, Pennsylvania killed 171, one-tenth of the town’s population. As a result of the disaster, Pennsylvania’s first fire law was enacted in 1909.
  • On March 29, 1953, the Littlefield’s Nursing Home Fire in Largo, Florida claimed 33 lives. The fire shocked the community and led to statewide nursing home reforms.
  

Read about other historical events that shaped fire code requirements in your own state (as well as current code requirements) using our Fire Code Map.