SafeSign Awarded School Board Project
Press Release
SAFESIGN AWARDED School Board Project
RICHMOND HILL, ON, APRIL 1, 2010: SafeSign Canada is proud to announce that is has been awarded Canada's largest photoluminescent exit sign project through its Montreal based agent, Pictographix Inc.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board announced April 1, 2010 that it had awarded Pictographix Inc their Request for Tender (RFT) for supply and delivery of photoluminescent exit signs. The RFT was for approximately six hundred (600) exit signs and associated components.
About SAFESIGN Canada
SafeSign (represented in Canada by SafeSign Corp, a division of Enviromate Products Corp, www.enviromate.com) has pioneered the ground-breaking proprietary process of applying photoluminescent crystals directly onto an aluminum substrate. This creates an extraordinary illumination and the first true all-aluminum based photoluminescent safety solution. Once again SafeSign raises the bar for safety protection offered by photoluminescent safety systems.
Contact: David Kogan |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
All About LEED & PL Exits
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System® encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.
LEED is a third-party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. It provides building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.
LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health:
- sustainable site development
- water efficiency
- energy efficiency
- materials selection
- indoor environmental quality
Credits and Prerequisites are organized into these five categories. An additional category, focusing on innovation, addresses sustainable building expertise, exemplary performance, and design (or operational) measures not covered under these five environmental categories.
Certain rating systems include additional relevant categories. LEED Canada for Homes, for instance, includes a Location and Linkages category and an Awareness and Education category.
Certification is based on the total point score achieved, following an independent review. With four possible levels of certification (certified, silver, gold and platinum), LEED is flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of green building strategies that best fit the constraints and goals of particular projects. (Introduction to LEED)
Level | Points |
|---|---|
Certified |
26-32 |
Silver |
33-38 |
Gold |
39-51 |
Platinum |
52-69 |
Rating Systems exist for the following building and project types:
- New Construction
- Core and Shell
- Commercial Interiors
- Existing Buildings
- Homes
- Neighbourhoods
- Healthcare
- Retail
- Schools
Here is a summary on how Photoluminescent Exit signs can assist toward obtaining points in these credits:
EA Credit #1 — Energy and Atmosphere: Optimizing Energy Performance.
To qualify for this LEED V2.2 Credit [worth up to 10 points] a building project must demonstrate improvement in the proposed building energy performance compared to a baseline criteria specified in ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1, or comply with prescriptive measures of ASHRAE ‘Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings’, or comply with the ‘Basis Criteria and Prescriptive Measures’ of the Advanced Buildings Benchmark.
More points are awarded to building projects using less energy than “baseline” guidelines prescribed by ASHRAE or the Advanced Buildings Benchmark.
With respect to exit signs, these guidelines are formulated on the basis of installing modern LED exit signs which pull about 5 watts of power. Although the impact of a few exit signs using 5 watts is not significant, larger facilities can employ thousands of exit signs in high and low applications. Recognizing that electrically powered exit signs must be energized 24 hours/day x 365 days/year, a typical large building project with 500 LED exit signs, each using 5 watts of power, burns nearly 22,000 kwh of electricity annually, costing about $3000 at $.14/kwh.
Since Photoluminescent Exit Signs are charged from nearby area lighting and require no direct power, there is no related electricity cost. Consequently, Photoluminescent Exit Signs will positively contribute to the calculations that determine the energy efficiency of a building project. Depending upon the number of exit signs in your project, this additional energy savings can be significant in obtaining points toward EA Credit #1.
MR Credit #4 — Materials and Resources
This credit requires that 10% of the dollar value of permanently installed project materials consist of recycled content. The recycled content value of a material is determined by its adjusted recycled weight [=100% post-consumer component weight + 50% pre-consumer component weight] multiplied by the total dollar value of the assembly. Since many types of Photoluminescent exit signs are made primarily of metal with a high recycled content, these exit signs will contribute handsomely toward this credit.
ID Credit #1 — Innovation in Design: Significant Environmental Benefits
There are two avenues available to obtain Innovation in Design points. Using Photoluminescent Exit Signs works best with the avenue whereby the project team demonstrates a comprehensive approach toward employing a product or technology that has significant environmental benefits not addressed or credited in other LEED categories.
The comprehensive approach targets optimizing the benefits and trade-offs of an innovation proposal throughout its lifecycle phases: design, procurement, construction, operational and decommissioning. The advantages of Photoluminescent Exit signs span all the lifecycle phases with the following environmental benefits:
-
Fewer Building Materials Required – Reducing activities that pollute air and water, destroy natural habitats and deplete natural resources. Photoluminescent Exit Signs are not electrically powered and therefore do not require the associated metal conduit, wiring and switching equipment that LED exit signs need.
- Energy Efficient - Reducing Emissions of Global Warming Ingredients. Photoluminescent Exit Signs operate on nearby ambient light and are not direct users of electricity like LED exit signs. Therefore, the project will enjoy energy savings, and depending upon the generation source, a corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, acid rain and radioactive waste.
- No Radioactivity. Photoluminescent Exit Signs do not contain radioactive material like tritium exit signs. This authors opinion is that building products that contain radioactive material have no place in any facility when there are better, sustainable technologies and they sure the heck should not be in LEED certified facilities.
- High Percentage of Recycled and Recyclable Materials. Many Photoluminescent Exit signs are made of recycled aluminum or steel which can be recycled again at decommissioning/disposal. A few components on an LED exit sign can be recycled including batteries, circuit boards and possibly some metal parts. Recycling Tritium exit signs can be done only in facilities licensed by the NRC and consists mainly of recovering radioactive material for reuse or disposal. The plastic housings and internals of tritium exit signs are typically not recycled.
- No Hazardous Materials or Wastes: Photoluminescent Exit Signs contain no toxic or hazardous materials and are not regulated in any way. Both LED and Tritium exit signs contain hazardous materials whose disposal is regulated. Specifically:
- LED exit signs have printed circuit boards [always] and battery back-up packs [usually]. These are now considered universal wastes by the EPA and are not permitted in municipal landfills.
- Tritium exit signs are radioactive and mandated by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency to be routed to a licensed recycle/disposal facility when they expire
- Longer Lifespan. High quality Photoluminescent exit signs are rated for a minimum 25 year life span. This is considerably longer than most LED and Tritium exit signs. LED exit sign batteries must be replaced every 3-4 years and their light bars are nominally rated for 50,000 - 70,000 hours [6 - 8 years]. Tritium exit signs are rated for 10, 15 and 20 years but few signs over 10 years are used due to their high cost.
- Less Maintenance. Photoluminescent Exit Signs require far less maintenance attention than LED exit signs. Most building codes require that LED exit signs and their backup power supplies be tested monthly and annually - a manpower intensive activity periodically requiring change-out of parts. Photoluminescent exit signs have no parts to replace and maintenance consists of dusting and verifying proper operation of nearby charging lights. To determine if your project may benefit from an ID point for installing Photoluminescent exit signs, it’s a good idea to submit a Credit Interpretation Request [CIR] to LEED. Make sure to detail the engineering approach and to stress lifecycle benefits. (O'Connell, 2006)
Works Cited
Introduction to LEED. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 12, 2011, from Canada Green Building Council: http://www.cagbc.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=LEED
O'Connell, M. (2006, 11 24). LEED and Photoluminescent Exit Signs - Glow in the Dark goes Green.
Exit Sign Spec Sheets
SafeSign All-Aluminum Box and Flush mount Exit sign spec sheets
Box Mount Exit Sign Spec
Flush Mount Exit Sign Spec
Green Takes on Another Meaning
Traditional Signs to EXIT in Favour of the Running Man
By Barbara Carss
Pictogram signs could soon point the way to the exit in many Canadian buildings. The 2010 National Building Code, scheduled for release this fall, calls for the green “running man” image and directional arrows in place of the traditional red EXIT or SORTIE signs.
The new format conforms to International Standards Organization (ISO) symbols now commonplace in the European Union and many other countries. National Code developers expect most Canadian provinces and territories will adopt the change, which would mandate the pictogram sign in new construction and major renovations.
“The Provinces are already aware of everything we are doing in the development of the National Code and we haven’t been hearing objections,” observes Philip Rizcallah, Senior Technical Advisor with the Canadian Codes Centre at the National Research Council. “The Code is coming out in November and we believe within a few months after that many of Provinces are going to adopt it.”
The 2010 Code will also allow for photoluminescent exit signs – a technology that adherents promote for both safety and energy conservation reasons. Photoluminescent signs absorb and store light at levels as low as 5 lux and, once charged, can provide illumination for several hours in the absence of light. They can function in combination with conventional or emergency lighting without having to be wired into a power system, and they require negligible maintenance because there are no bulbs to replace.
“From a safety perspective, it is a redundant, fail-safe system. If every other system fails, photoluminescent technology will continue to glow,” says Michele Farley, a fire safety consultant and Chair of the advisory committee for the development of the CAN/ULC-S572 standard for Photoluminescence and Self-Luminous Signs and Path Marking Systems referenced in the 2010 National Building Code.
FLEXIBILITY FOR FAIL-SAFE TECHNOLOGY
In the United States, jurisdictions like New York City mandate photoluminescent markings in stairwells and/or other passageways that building occupants might have to navigate in emergency situations, and Canadian Code developers predict that path marking systems will be addressed in the next cycle of the National Building Code to be released in 2015. In the interim, CAN/ULC-S572 ensures that any voluntary installations comply with appropriate safety standards.
“It’s important that designers be able to specify products that will meet performance requirements,” Farley explains. “It is opening the door for designers, architects and engineers to find ways to use the technology. Photoluminescent path marking will be a supplement that will be used by designers in ensuring fail-safe buildings.”
Code and safety specialists suggest that, at least initially, most of the new pictogram signs are still likely to be hardwired and illuminated from within. The signs’ dimensions will be similar to traditional EXIT signs and should fit into comparably sized spaces.
However, photoluminescence can provide more flexibility in awkward configurations because signs can be flush with walls where they may be less likely to be knocked or damaged. The technology is also compatible with Braille and other types of tactile signs that can be mounted in more accessible locations.
“The EXIT sign is where? On top of the door. If you’re blind, that’s not really helpful,” says Rob Brooker, President and proprietor of Signaids, a company specializing in ISO standard pictograms and signs to promote accessibility.
He applauds the National Building Code’s adoption of the running man pictogram, which is in keeping with the Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the United Nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. “Every province and territory has agreed to that so Canada, as a nation, is bound to implement it,” Brooker notes.
He advocates the full range of ISO safety related pictograms, which also apply a consistent colour code of green for safety and red for danger – arguing, for example, that it is much easier for anyone to see and grasp the image of a fire extinguisher than to read the letters in vertical order as they now appear on wall-mounted cabinets.
“The whole premise of the ISO signage or a pictogram is to enable people to quickly identify a sign,” Brooker says. “The whole basis is that safety signs all look the same. Therefore the continuity is there.”
SWITCHOVER FACTORS
The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes’ rationale for the running man pictogram is largely to harmonize Canadian standards with international trends. However, there are spinoff benefits of greater inclusiveness for people with limited literacy in English or French and potential cost savings for building owners who previously had to source bilingual EXIT/SORTIE signs.
“We are hearing some concerns and one of the issues that has been raised from some of the jurisdictions is that this is going to confuse people,” Rizcallah acknowledges. “We expect people will adapt quickly. There is not much of a learning curve on this.”
The pictogram will create a few more details for building designers to think about, though, since they will have to specify the appropriate directional arrow for each sign – left, right, up, down. Manufacturers will likewise have to produce a wider array of products, and this will also necessitate more inventory administration.
“Our business deals with a lot of distributors. They obviously would rather stock a universal model,” says Peter Shilling, Engineering Manager with the emergency lighting provider, Beghelli Canada, and a member of an industry advisory committee to the Code developers.
Many Canadian based companies already supply the running man pictogram or other ISO standard signs if a customer requests, but those specially ordered images won’t necessarily comply with the new National Building Code. It mandates a standardized image in specific shades of green and white.
“In Europe, there are probably five or six different ISO running men, so they had to choose one, which is ISO 7010,” Shilling adds. “Our parent company is in Italy, and the signs in use there are slightly different than what is proposed here.”
Safety experts are also concerned that renovations could create some potentially problematic inconsistencies in signage. It may not be so confusing if an entire floor or multiple floors within an existing building are outfitted with running man signs while other entire floors retain the EXIT signs, but Rizcallah speculates that authorities with jurisdiction will prohibit mixing of the two sign formats when major renovations are conducted on the area of a single floor.
“Any building should try to strive for consistency,” Farley advises. “EXIT signs are in the background and we probably don’t think about them that much, but in an emergency situation you need them really, really urgently and that’s not the time you want to worry about clarity.”
Manufacturers foresee continued demand for the traditional EXIT signs so owners/managers of existing buildings shouldn’t have any imminent worries about finding replacements for individual fixtures. “The general consensus in the industry is that some Provinces won’t adopt it and some may be slow on the uptake. We also sell into the U.S. market, which will still use the EXIT sign,” Shilling says.
Alternatively, building owners/managers might opt to convert completely to the running man pictogram signs as part of a lighting retrofit. The Code also allows for the hybrid option of the running man pictogram and applicable directional arrow with the word EXIT below.
“It will be a process and it will be years probably before we start to see a significant change,” Farley says. “With most code changes, they are like snails and then they are like torpedoes.”
For more information, the standards referenced in the 2010 National Building Code are: CAN/ULC-S572, Photoluminescence and Self-Luminous Signs and Path Marking Systems and ISO 3864-1 Safety Colours and Safety Signs Part 1.
Reprinted with permission. Original Article featured in the October 2010 edition of Canadian Property Management
Exit Signage
SafeSign exit signage provides building occupants with pertinent information required to exit a building promptly in the case of an emergency.
Fire code legislation requires that main exits and directions of egress are clearly marked. Legislation also sets out the requirements for identifying pathways that do not lead to an exit.
SafeSign ULC approved exit signs are rated for a 50 foot viewing distance, with 75 foot viewing distance approval pending. Available as both flush mount and box signs they are suitable for both new and retrofit construction projects. Box signs are available in single or double sided configurations and include an aesthetically pleasing mounting bracket. Both formats fluoresce for a minimum of 8 hours, use existing lighting to energize and come with removable directional arrows for customization at the time of installation.
SafeSign includes various options for directing building occupants to egress areas, including bilingual signs and pictograms.
Informational Signage
SafeSign manufactures a variety of photoluminescent signage that guides building occupants to safety. Legislation mandates signage such as floor numbers and emergency instructions be posted in specific areas. SafeSign signage ensures that building occupants are informed and able to easily evacuate from the building safely and efficiently.
Fire Equipment Signage
SafeSign features a variety of fire equipment identification signage. This signage indicates the location of fire equipment to both the building occupants and emergency personnel.
Legislation requires that certain fire equipment be clearly identified. Specific and mandated signage identifies the locations of fire hoses, fire extinguishers and which elevators are designated for use by firefighters. Signage featuring pictograms is recommended to ensure universal recognition of equipment location.
SafeSign’s all aluminum construction and photoluminescent pigment are key features of the product. The aluminum construction helps deter vandalism, and prevents warping and distortion, ensuring its legibility in all conditions. The photoluminescent feature ensures high visibility in low and no light situations.