Elevator Signs and ADA Signage
Does your building have elevators? Whether you run a business that has elevators in the building, or you are a sign company bidding a project that has elevators, there are so many things to know about the ADA signs required for elevators, alone. I don't even know them all, and each state and municipality may differ in their requirements.
Inside the elevator is the control panel. We've all used it. Did you notice if there was Braille next to the number of each floor? I notice these things all the time because I work with it every day. Many times the panels have had to be retro-fitted with Braille, but each button in an elevator should have Braille.
On the elevator hoistway (jamb), the requirement is that there be a sign with the floor designation on each side. The floor number must be tactile (raised) and be 2″ tall with the accompanying Braille. If there is more than one elevator in a building, each elevator needs to be identified with a letter that is also required to be 2″ tall and with Braille. For the first floor of each elevator car, there needs to be a star that is 2″ tall, the same as the number. The star needs to have Braille beneath it with the translation “MAIN”.
Need to know how to mount your ADA signage?
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MOREThe other thing people refer to when they say “elevator signs”, are the “In Case Of Fire Use Stairs” signs. The pictogram is mostly a man running down the stairs with a red fire behind him. I see these signs everywhere I go that has elevators, and it's posted outside the elevator so when I'm standing there hitting the button, the sign reminds me not to use it if I'm leaving the building because it's on fire. In the hospitals in the city I live in, the signs are small and don't have Braille. I don't know if it's because they are grandfathered in, or if the Braille is not required, but most of our customers request the Braille on those signs. Sometimes, because our business is so serious, we see something fun and recreate it, like this “In Case Of Fire” sign:
Of course, we would never seriously sell a sign like this, but in today's society of smartphones and social media, this sign might not be a bad idea! You've seen the cell phone videos people take during fires or tornados, and they are busy recording and I'm thinking, “Run”!
In any case, once you know what signs you need, call or email us for a quote.
