Means of Egress…It sounds pretty straight and forward, but what does it really mean? How easy is it to locate a means of egress when seconds count? How effective are your means of egress? Are your means of egress up to code? These are just some questions to ask yourself about emergency exits, or your “means of egress”. If you are in charge or will be held accountable for emergency plans, you should be able to answer these questions about your entire facility.

Every workplace must have enough exits suitably located to enable everyone to get out of the facility quickly. Considerations include the type of structure, the number of persons exposed, the fire protection available, the type of industry involved, and the height and type of construction of the building or structure. In addition, fire doors must not be blocked or locked when employees are inside. Delayed opening of fire doors, however, is permitted when an approved alarm system is integrated into the fire door design. Exit routes from buildings must be free of obstructions and properly marked with exit signs. The standard 29 CFR 1910.36 Design and Construction requirements for exit routes consists of several requirements:

• Every exit must be clearly visible, or the path to it conspicuously identified in such a manner that every occupant of the building will know the best way to get out of the building in a fire or other emergency.
• Exits must never be obstructed. Any door or passageway that is not an exit or path to an exit must be identified with a sign that reads ‘Not An Exit‘ or a sign that indicates its actual use, such as storage.
• All exit signs must either be self-illuminating, or illuminated by a reliable external light source

For more information regarding 29 CFR 1910.36, visit osha.gov. Remember, there are more than just signs needed for as proper “means of egress” ; fire extinguishers, safety vests, flashlights, evacuation maps just to name a few. Check out Seton’s new virtual tour online for Emergency Evacuation.  This tool demonstrates an integrated emergency evacuation plan from the top to bottom of your building. Be confident that your employees are equipped with the right Seton products to keep them safe during blackout/emergency evacuations.

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Is your air conditioner working overtime right now? Well we all know that answer! Yes…the humidity levels have been at a high for a couple weeks now.  Besides your higher than average electric bill you need to worry about – what about the safety of your home?  Here are some surprising statistics regarding the use of cooling appliances in your home.

• According to the CPSC, 15% of consumer-product related electrocutions are attributed to large appliances. These electrocutions occur most commonly while someone is attempting to service or repair the appliance.
• In 2006, an estimated 33,500 injuries were reported to hospital emergency rooms as involving air conditioners, fans, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and heat pumps. The leading types of injuries were laceration (14,890), contusion or abrasion (6,110), and strain or sprain (4,430).
• In 2003-2006, the 7,000 reported home structure fires per year involving air conditioning and related equipment included 2,400 per year involving central and room air conditioners specifically and 3,700 per year involving fans.

Source: http://esfi.org/

Safety Tips from Seton!

1) Always keep in mind safety when researching and purchasing new appliances for your home. Read consumer and manufacturer recommendations and reviews.

2) Inspect the equipment when its delivered to your home. Make sure nothing looks broken or out of the ordinary.

3) Consult a qualified professional if you have any doubts when buying a new expensive appliance to determine  the right fit for your home.

4) Do not install anything by yourself or without the proper equipment. The best way is to hire a professional for any appliances that need electrical work.

5) Always check and double check routinely on the safety of your existing appliances!

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The best time to prepare for a storm is before it hits.  The key to weathering any storm is preparation. Here are some suggestions to be prepared.

Image courtesy of chaseday.com

• If you lose electricity, unplug any sensitive items that might be damaged when the power suddenly comes back on.
• Put your refrigerator and freezer at the coldest settings in case you lose power. The colder food will last a little longer.
• Set aside water for drinking and washing.
• Fill up your vehicle gas tank in case you need to evacuate.
• Keep a battery powered radio handy. Make sure you have lots of extra batteries.
• Make sure you have flashlights and fresh batteries.
• Stock up on easy-to-prepare foods and be ready to cook outside if needed.

Seton offers a variety of products that will help you prepare for a storm at home or in the workplace including  flashlight stations, batteries and emergency survival kits.

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1. Are all exits marked with an exit sign and illuminated by a reliable light source?
2. Are doors, passageways or stairways, that are neither exits nor access to exits and which could be mistaken for exits, appropriately marked “NOT AN EXIT,” “TO BASEMENT, “STOREROOM,” etc.?
3. Are exit signs provided with the word “EXIT” in lettering at least 5 inches high and the stroke of the lettering at least 1/2-inch wide?
4. Are exit doors side-hinged?
5. Are all exits kept free of obstructions?
6. Are at least two means of egress provided from elevated platforms, pits or rooms where the absence of a second exit would increase the risk of injury from hot, poisonous, corrosive, suffocating, flammable, or explosive substances?
7. Are there sufficient exits to permit prompt escape in case of emergency?
8. Are special precautions taken to protect employees during construction and repair operations?
9. Is the number of exits from each floor of a building and the number of exits from the building itself, appropriate for the building occupancy load?
10. Are exit stairways which are required to be separated from other parts of a building, enclosed by at least 2-hour fire-resistive construction in buildings more than four stories in height, and not less than 1-hour fire-resistive constructive elsewhere?
11. Where ramps are used as part of required exiting from a building, is the ramp slope limited to 1 ft. vertical and 12 ft. horizontal?
12. Where exiting will be through frameless glass doors, glass exit doors, storm doors, etc., are the doors fully tempered and meet the safety requirements for human impact?

Get a printable copy here.  Seton is the Source for Safety, Labeling & Signage Guaranteed Fast and Flawless…Every Time!

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Every year the NFPA collects information on firefighter deaths while on-duty.  On-duty fatalities include injuries that turn fatal, fatal mishaps involving non-emergency occupational hazards and illnesses that  were a result of an action that took place while on duty.   For the first time in 3 years on- the -job firefighter deaths has dropped below 100.  In 2009,  it was reported that 82 firefighters were killed which is a big drop from  2008, which reported 105 deaths.   

“While a drop over one year certainly isn’t enough to show a trend, it is definitely encouraging to see the number of firefighter fatalities drop well below that 10-year average,” said Rita Fahy, NFPA’s manager of fire databases and systems. “We are hopeful that we will continue to see fewer and fewer firefighter fatalities over the next 10 years.”

To read more on this article and view the full report visit NFPA. This annual report clearly shows the risks to our nation’s firefighters.

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The NFPA reported recently that after an adjustment for inflation in 2007,  Total Cost of Fire in the United States has increased 86% since 1980.

NFPA report states -  The complete total cost of fire is defined as the sum of economic loss (e.g., property damage, business interruption), human loss (e.g., lives lost, medical treatment, pain and suffering), and the cost of provisions to prevent or mitigate the cost of fire (e.g., fire departments, insurance, and fire protection equipment and construction).

Other key findings from the report:

• Although the core total cost of fire increased, the economic loss due to fire decreased by 13 percent since 1980, totaling at $18.6 billion.
• The total cost of direct property damages, reported or unreported, totaled at $16.6 billion.  This figure represents 90 percent of the economic loss.  The other 10 percent represents indirect losses, such as business interruption.
• Human losses are estimated at $42.5 billion.

For more information visit NFPA.org

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For nearly 90 years the NFPA has sponsored fire prevention campaigns in the month of October.  These campaigns are to stress the importance of fire safety and prevention to help avoid injuries and possible death.  Well, just the other day the NFPA announced their theme for this October! The theme is Smoke Alarms:  A sound you can live with! Just alone in 2008, home fires killed 2,755 people and injured 13,160. Most of these fires were in homes that had no smoke alarms or had smoke alarms were not working. Having working fire alarms can cut the chance of dying in half!

So mark your calendars!  Fire Prevention Week 2010 is October 3-9.  It’s not that far away!

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According to OSHA - Every workplace must have enough exits properly located to allow everyone to get out of the facility quickly. Considerations include the type of structure, the number of persons exposed, the fire protection available, the type of industry involved, and the height and type of construction of the building or structure. In addition, fire doors must not be blocked or locked when employees are inside. Delayed opening of fire doors, however, is permitted when an approved alarm system is integrated into the fire door design. Exit routes from buildings must be free of obstructions and properly marked with exit signs. See 29 CFR Part 1910.36 for details about all requirements.

Seton is the Source for Safety, Labeling & Signage Guaranteed Fast and Flawless Every Time!

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Safety depends on you!  Photoluminescent tapes, signs and markers create continuous, uninterrupted guidance lines along stairwell walls, re-entry and final exits and other door markings. Using photoluminescent tapes in stairwells that are dark can brighten the way to safety. Below are a few tips on how to mark a stairwell with photoluminescent tape. 

Steps The entire horizontal leading edge of each step should be marked with a solid and continuous strip of photoluminescent material.

Leading edge of landings (i.e. platforms at the top of stairs) should be marked in a consistent and uniform manner throughout the same exit.

Handrails Should be marked with a solid and continuous strip of photoluminescent material. The strip should be placed at least on the top surface of the handrail for the entire length of any handrails including handrail extensions and newal post caps.

Floor perimeter demarcation lines are intended to outline the egress path by providing low level photoluminescent lines on both sides of the path. Stair landings and other parts of the egress path shall be provided with a solid and continuous 1″ to 2″: wide strip of photoluminescent material.

Seton has the Hi-intensity Photoluminescent Exit Path Markings you need.  They are  are designed specially for commercial hi-rise buildings(75′ and taller) that fall under the mandates of NYC Local Law26.

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It is important to clearly mark  doors that do not lead out to an exit to lessen confusion during an emergency. There are requirements for No Exit signs that should be followed, but often times they are misunderstood or misapplied.  Below are 2 requirements from the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code that help clarify any confusion.

 Section 7 7.10.8.3 states that a “No EXIT” sign is only needed where “any door, passage, or stairway that is neither an exit nor a way of exit access and that is located or arranged so that it is likely to be mistaken for an exit shall be identified by a sign that reads as follows: NO EXIT.” This sign is required only if the door does not lead to a way out AND is likely to be mistaken for an exit door. It is not the code’s intent that such signs be placed on every door that is not an exit. If the door is labeled as to what it is, such as “Closet,” “Basement,” or “Electrical Room,” there should be no confusion.

 If a “No EXIT” sign is necessary, Section 7.10.8.3.2 clearly specifies that the word “No” must be 2 inches (5 centimeters) high and the word “EXIT” must be 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) high. This is so occupants will not key in on the word exit and mistake it for an exit sign.
There are a few differences between the exit sign requirements in the Life Safety Code and other codes used outside the United States that might encourage use of pictograms to mark exits or mandate specific color schemes.

Seton has a variety of EXIT and NO Exit signs to choose from.  Let Seton be your source for safety and signage needs!

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