Risk advisory > Evacuation plan: life-saving customisation

Evacuation floor plan: life-saving customisation

Everyone is familiar with building evacuation plans. But do you know whether they are in proper order at your workplace? At FeniksGroup, we make evacuation floor plans for companies, institutions and organisations. Customised work in which we draw the important elements in the plans in detail and advise where they should be hanged. Because during an emergency, an evacuation plan can make the difference between life and death…..

Often not right (anymore)

An evacuation floor plan seems such a standard part of the business that it is often not even considered. Yet it is still quite common that they are not (or no longer) right; they hang in mirror image, in the wrong places, they are dated or just totally unclear. The result? In the event of a fire, people do not quickly know how to find the right exit or escape route.

An evacuation floor plan is mandatory

An evacuation floor plan is part of the evacuation plan and is mandatory for any building with a fire alarm system. These include public buildings, business premises and locations frequented by people who are unfamiliar with the escape routes. Often, it is also already indicated in a building code. In addition, it is certainly named in the evacuation plan, and the company emergency or first-aid plan.

In accordance with NEN standards

Evacuation floor plans must be made in accordance with fixed guidelines from NEN-EN-ISO-7010 and NEN 1414, so that they are always and everywhere recognisable and easy to read.

For example, rules apply to the symbols, texts, colours and structure. For instance, texts must be formatted in a certain font and placed in the correct order. Colours must also be used everywhere in the same way, and a clear positioning with the text “you are here” with a large blue arrow is a given. Safety equipment such as first aid kits and fire hose reels are also marked in all plans with the same symbols and in the same colours. However, a company logo can be placed on each evacuation plan.

Evacuation plans drawn

At FeniksGroup, we also make evacuation floor plans. We draw an evacuation plan on the basis of construction drawings, client drawings and/or after a personal check on the site itself. A number of things are essential here:

• The symbols
• The structure of the plan
• The texts
• The colours
• And the positioning

Different points of view

The siting always seems very logical, but that’s where things sometimes go wrong. The point is to hang the floor plan in such a way that it is also correct when you stand in front of it and look at it. So is the exit indeed to your left? And are those fire hose reels really hanging on the right side? Or is it exactly contra? Every evacuation plan must therefore be able to be drawn from different perspectives. We check that the perspective drawn matches reality when confirming on site.

Where to hang them?

The best place to attach them is where many people come and can look at them quietly. After all, they are meant to be preventive so you can orientate yourself in advance where you are and how to get to a safe place the fastest. You therefore often see evacuation plans near coffee machines, lifts, photocopiers, toilets and waiting rooms. And in hotels or conference centres also in all rooms and halls.

Having evacuation plans made by FeniksGroup: correct and emergency-proof!

At FeniksGroup we draw the evacuation plans in accordance with all guidelines, but also taking into account the situation on site. So that they are not only correct, but also ‘calamity-proof’. After all, when it comes down to it, it is these drawings that can save a life!