Exit box in tents

[emj]

Sorry not shore which topic to put this in so mod's please put in which you feel appropriate

 

I've just been told by the licence of the beer tent we are using on a job next week that he needs 2 emergency exit box for the beer tent. He said to my client it's the law

 

I would except this except for a big tent, This one ingestion is 20ft by 20ft with 1 king pole and at lest 1 side missing if not 2. thus I feel it is bit point less

 

I would normally just put 1 non maintained light in case of power fail

 

Answers on a post card please

 

Thanks

Em

[Wilf dLampy]

We usually put up illuminated exit signs in marquees, the justification I use is that

1)If the tent is full, it may not be immediately obvious which way is out in the dark. Even if the sides are open, commonly those sides are only 7'-8' off the ground, so the gap can easily be obscured by a crowd.

2)If people have been drinking (as they may have in a beer tent) then it may be even less obvious which way is out.

3)When it gets dark outside it gets even worse.

4) It's not usually much hassle to hang an exit sign and run a cable. It's usually even possible to locate the exit at a point where its easier to hang the sign (and still a good place for an exit).

5)If it promotes safety, and keeps the authorities happy, that's a good thing. If "da management" comes into the tent and notices straight away that exits are clearly marked etc, they get a good first impression and are less likely to go poking around looking for other things that may be "wrong".

 

Don't know what the letter of the law says, but I'm happy treating a marquee as we would a permanent venue.

[mumbles]

I beleive the requirement is for an emergency light for when power fails, which you've already said you will include. But, if the licensor(?) is saying they need it, then its probably best to comply.

 

Also, I would normally try to include at least two emergency light sources, to get a better coverage through the marquee.

[Roderick]

I am not completely up to speed with UK regulations but in Australia exits and their signs are determined by occupancy, I would expect the UK to be similar.

If you apply a few basic calculations - 20ft x 20ft ~ 6m x 6m = 36m2, 2 people/m2 = 72 people = 2 exits with a minimum aggregated width of 3m.

As Wilf said, the most important thing is to indicate to people which direction to go to in case of a power failure, make sure the signs have a battery back-up.

An emergency light is different from an exit sign, exit signs are illuminated at all times and say 'exit' :blink: to provide direction, emergency lights only switch on if the power drops out and are there to illuminate the area so that people can see what they are doing.

Whilst I agree that it seems excessive in such a small tent, it probably is what the regulations require - it would in Australia. More importantly, the licensee requested them so you have little argument not to provide them.

 

HTH

[dosxuk]

<snip>and say 'exit' :blink: to provide direction

 

 

 

Actually... in the UK our exit signs aren't allowed to say "Exit" anymore. They have to have a picture of a running man and a door, with an optional arrow for direction. Something to do with the French not understanding "Exit" I've been told was the reason for the change!

[robloxley]

<snip>and say 'exit' :blink: to provide direction

Actually... in the UK our exit signs aren't allowed to say "Exit" anymore. They have to have a picture of a running man and a door, with an optional arrow for direction. Something to do with the French not understanding "Exit" I've been told was the reason for the change!

The licensing authority is the person to tell the OP what is needed in this specific instance.

dosxuk opens a can of worms re exit signs & BS5499 vs. EU directive signs. Basically either are allowed (because BS5499 ones though different are considered to comply with the EU directive), and under BS5499 you can have text in addition to the pictogram. Is the arrow really optional?

[Thirdtap]

Something to do with the French not understanding "Exit"

 

Um... yes this I believe is the fact that you should be able to travel around our fair Euro lands and understand that a green sign with a running man is the exit... 'cept I visited Paris earlier this year and most if not all of the signs I saw were in red and were words sortie. I was a bit annoyed about this as I have spent quite a bit of time making sure that venues and equipment - exits signs all conform. Is it a case of the UK being the ahead or the only ones who have conformed to this?

[Bryson]

Just do it. The argument (and even reading this topic) will take longer and cost you more than just doing it.

[Russ247]

I do find it funny they've changed it to a running man instead of EXIT.

What's the first thing you say when evacuating for a fire ....... Don't Run! :P :)