When flames overtook Grenfell Tower in June 2017, they illuminated more than a building—they exposed a national crisis in fire safety. Eight years on, and in the wake of the Grenfell Inquiry’s first and second phase reports, the UK has begun to reform its building and evacuation standards. But are workplaces responding with the same urgency?
Too many businesses remain fixated on the minimum—installing a fire exit sign here, a wall-mounted extinguisher there—without asking the more difficult question: Would this actually help in a real emergency?
Because in the thick of panic, when lights fail and corridors fill with smoke, compliance is no guarantee of safety. It is a baseline. And today, that baseline is moving.
Why Evacuation Signage Needs an Upgrade
According to a recent research, it takes an average of six minutes to evacuate a mid-size office—but only if occupants are familiar with the layout and the signage is highly visible. In unfamiliar buildings, or during power failure, evacuation times jump significantly.
Photoluminescent signs—those that glow in the dark—can reduce disorientation and guide people to exits even in low visibility. Yet, many workplaces still rely on outdated signage that becomes useless in a blackout.
“Many organisations believe they’re compliant because signs are present,” says Paul Kurton, Seton Signs Product Manager for Seton. “But if those signs are damaged, poorly placed, or not visible in an emergency, they may not serve their purpose at all.”
Employers should be inspecting signage regularly, checking for compliance with ISO 7010, and upgrading to photoluminescent options where appropriate. After all, what use is a sign if it can’t be seen when it matters most?
Regulations Alone Aren’t Enough
While the UK Government has committed to overhauling fire safety regulation, including the introduction of a new Building Safety Regulator and clearer accountability frameworks, regulations still require interpretation and implementation.
This is where too many employers falter. They look to meet the law instead of exceeding it. But the law doesn’t stand next to your employees in the hallway when the alarm sounds. The reality is that the difference between an orderly evacuation and chaos can come down to one missing sign, one obscured exit, one flickering emergency light.
Consider this: ISO 7010 mandates the use of standardised graphical symbols for safety signs across Europe. These symbols are designed to be quickly understood regardless of language.But not all signs on the market meet ISO standards—some mimic the style without adhering to the correct shape, colour, or symbol specifications. Internal tests by Seton across multiple UK business sites found that over 40% of fire exit signs failed to meet compliance criteria—subtle flaws that could become fatal under pressure.
“Fire safety isn’t static,” says Paul Kurton. “If you’ve changed your layout, added new partitions, or updated your exits, your signage must follow suit.”
Reassessing Risk in Modern Workplaces
The traditional approach to fire safety is often linear: install alarms, provide extinguishers, post signage, run drills. But workplaces today are anything but linear. They are open-plan, hybrid, multi-storey, and increasingly complex. Risks emerge not just from faulty equipment, but from poor communication and visual clutter.
One simple yet overlooked strategy is auditing your signage:
- Are exit signs clearly visible from every vantage point?
- Are directional arrows logical and consistent?
- Are glow-in-the-dark signs installed in stairwells or windowless areas?
- Are signs mounted at eye-level and positioned for high traffic flow?
These aren’t optional considerations—they are essential measures that affect survival odds. According to workplace trials cited in Seton’s latest safety report, photoluminescent signage reduced evacuation times by an average of 24% compared to standard signs in similar conditions. The most responsible businesses now go further: simulating fire drills in low-light environments, training staff to recognise updated signage, and treating signage updates as routine maintenance—not reactive correction.
Beyond Signage: A Mindset of Preparedness
Fire safety is not about fear—it’s about readiness. And readiness is cultural. It’s built into the way organisations train, communicate, and design their environments.
The most forward-thinking companies today are treating fire safety as a shared responsibility, not a facilities checkbox. This means involving staff in annual reviews, empowering them to report concerns, and using data—such as evacuation times and hazard proximity—to inform decisions.
Digital tools, like evacuation mapping software, can help. But nothing replaces the clarity of good signage. In a crisis, your exit signs speak louder than your evacuation manual.
“If signage can’t be seen, can’t be understood, or can’t guide you out in an emergency, it’s not doing its job.” says Paul Kurton. “That’s a risk we can and should fix.
An Invitation to Act
So what now? Businesses can start by walking their floors with fresh eyes. Ask the uncomfortable questions:
Would someone new to the building find the nearest fire exit in under 10 seconds?
Would they see it in darkness? Would they understand it without needing to read?
Then, take the next step: audit your signage against ISO 7010 standards. Replace outdated or non-luminous signs. Educate your staff—not just on where the signs are, but why they matter.
The Next Emergency Is Not a Question of “If”
It’s tempting to think disaster won’t strike our building, our office, our team. But that belief is a luxury. Preparedness is a responsibility. Especially now, when the standards are clearer, the risks are known, and the solutions—like effective, compliant, photoluminescent signage—are well within reach.
Fire safety isn’t about compliance. It’s about conscience. And if we truly want to prevent another Grenfell, we must all be willing to do more.