Blog

ADA Stairwell Signs

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 23:41:08 GMT

ADA Stairwell Sign Components and Design

Interior ADA stairwell signs are used to provide navigation assistance within a multi-storey building for fire and emergency personnel, maintenance workers, etc., or building evacuation assistance. These signs are usually required to have a reflective surface and more recently many locations are now requiring a photoluminescent substrate. Typically, these signs will contain the following information.

The stairwell designation, for e.g., North Stair, East Stair, etc.
Roof Access or No Roof Access.
The floor number. This is usually the largest component on the sign.
The floors that the stairwell accesses.
Building exit information.
An ADA / Braille component.

While federal standards will apply to the ADA component of the sign it is often up to the state or local fire code that will determine where the Braille is placed and what the Braille is to convey. This also applies to the overall design of the stairwell sign also. Therefore, it is important to check with the local fire authorities in the jurisdiction where the signs are to be installed.

Photoluminescent (Glow) Signage

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 21:21:17 GMT

Photoluminescent Signage Information and Applications

Photoluminescent or glow in the dark signs are increasingly being specified for applications' such as stairwell signs, exit signs, area of refuge signs, emergency instructional signs and more. The non-radioactive, non-toxic material of these signs absorb the ambient light from their surroundings and, in the event of a power failure, will glow in the darkness for a period of time allowing occupants of the building to safely evacuate.

We use Rowmark Laserglow for these applications. Rowmark's LaserGlow material is specially designed and fabricated to meet or exceed the photoluminescent requirements set by many local municipalities and governments and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Federal regulations. Laserglow meets or exceed the following standards:

UL: 1994:2015 Ed. 4, Clauses 33 and 34
New York City (NYC) Local Law 26 of 2004
The International Marine (IMO) Standard

C & C Engraving has manufactured and shipped thousands of photoluminescent signs nationwide. Both ADA and engraved signs. Please contact us with your requirements.

Interior ADA Signage Basics

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 19:25:02 GMT

Basic Requirements for Interior ADA Signage Design

The following are the key elements required for ADA compliance.

Substrate and tactile must have a matte non glare finish.
Sufficient color contrast between the substrate and tactile copy or pictograms is required. Either light over dark or dark over light.
Minimum character height of copy needs to be 5/8 inch (.625)
Font needs to be non serif, Helvetica, Ariel, etc.
Copy needs to be uppercase.
Pictograms need to be placed in a 6 inch blank field.
Pictogram descriptions must be placed beneath the corresponding pictogram.
Tactile copy and pictograms need to be at least 1/32 raised above the substrate.
Braille needs to be grade 2 contracted.
Braille needs to be positioned below the corresponding text.
Braille needs to be positioned at least 3/8 inch away from the text or any other raised elements on the sign.

While these are the key elements of the Federal ADA signage specifications , please be aware that state, local or municipal codes may augment the federal requirements. This is particularly true for ADA stairwell signs placed

in the interior stairwells. When in doubt always check with your local authorities.