The International Building Code (IBC) And Photoluminescent Exit Signs

The International Building Code (IBC) And Photoluminescent Exit Signs

The IBC was created by the International Code Council (ICC) to address the egress safety of commercial and residential R1 buildings that contain occupancy at above 75 feet from the lowest level of fire department vehicle access. Like the International Fire Code (IFC), which governs the egress safety in both new construction and existing buildings, the IBC, which governs the egress safety in new construction, is concerned with both non-emergency egress safety and emergency egress safety, with the latter receiving the greatest attention from building owners worldwide. During evacuations that occur during low visibility (e.g. fire evacuations), improperly equipped emergency egress systems can lead to injuries and casualties that result in lawsuits and damaged reputations.

To help prevent such occurrences, the IBC addresses emergency egress safety by requiring that building owners implement IBC photoluminescent egress markings in vertical exit enclosures and IBC photoluminescent exit signs within vertical exit enclosures and exit passageways.

Under the code, the term exit sign does not specify only formal photoluminescent exit signs, but also signs that help lead building occupants to a building’s exit, particularly emergency exit symbol signs (i.e. running man signs). In combination with formal photoluminescent exit signs, emergency exit symbol IBC exit signs allow building occupants to evacuate a building in significantly less time than if traditional, non-luminescent emergency exit symbols and formal exit signs were present.

Photoluminescent signs operate by principle of photoluminescence, which occurs when an object absorbs photons from its surrounding environment and re-emits them, creating a bright glowing effect.

In nature, the process of photoluminescence is often completed within a few seconds. But photoluminescent safety products are engineered to re-emit photons for up to 96 hours in total darkness, providing more than enough time for building occupants to evacuate even the largest buildings. Instead of luminescent running man signs mounted on doors and luminescent egress markings outlining egress system components such as steps, handrails, landing areas and door frames, buildings traditionally rely on emergency back up lighting to illuminate vertical exit closures and exit passageways during low visibility evacuations, which can prove dangerous for two reasons.

First, emergency backup lighting performs poorly in the presence of moderate to thick smoke, its illumination becoming lost like a headlight on the fog. Second, backup lighting is only as reliable as the generators that power it. During the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, back up generators were destroyed by the bombs, leaving thousands of building occupants to evacuate in darkness. To avoid such situations, owners of new buildings and existing buildings alike rely on photoluminescent signage instead of the emergency egress technology of the past. To acquire the necessary materials to implement IBC and IFC safety guidelines, contacting a seller of luminescent safety products is the best choice.

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