Exit Signs | ** An Anonymous Journal **

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Exit Signs

Last weekend, I took a shortcut through the mall because I was late for a show and nearly lost my way. It was a little disconcerting as I have been to the mall a thousand times since it was opened for business but when I went through the back of the building, it was like a maze that I had to find my way out. If I had been alone, I would have freaked out but a friend was with me so we finally managed to enter the building proper of the mall which was brightly lit and entirely different from the back! I seriously considered lodging a complaint with the management for not providing signs and light in the corridors. Obviously, my friend and I missed the first half of the show.

I was reminded of this incident when I read an article on the web about exit signs. I am sure most of us are familiar with them. They use a lot of electricity to run, that's why I think building managements usually do not switch on the light.

The article mentioned that there is an excellent alternative to conventional exit lights and they are photoluminescent exit signs. These are exit lights that do not require electricity to light up. If you are familiar with "glow in the dark" products, well, this works the same. They absorb light in the day, when there is light and power themselves up when it is dark. They are cost saving and energy efficient.

Another more advanced technology when it comes to exit signs would be self luminous exit signs which are chemically treated and do not need electricity or any light source from outside. They power themselves through the day for YEARS. Talk about efficiency.

After reading the article, I came to the conclusion that not only should all buildings install exit signs, they should install glow in the dark or even self-luminous exit signs.

Imagine, if these are electricity powered and there is a power cut due to a fire or earthquake, what good would they do? Photoluminescent and self-luminous exit signs, on the other hand, would continue to light up no matter what.

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