Exit and Emergency Sign Requirements on Construction Sites in the UAE

Short answer

Exit signs belong to fire and life safety. ADOSH-SF CoP 17.0 (formerly OSHAD-SF, administered by ADPHC) §3.9 says fire signage is placed after a fire risk assessment, following the Abu Dhabi Building Codes and the UAE Fire & Life Safety Code. Table 3 makes firefighting equipment red and escape doors, exits and routes green. §3.9.2 puts the exit sign immediately above the exit opening, or where smoke is least likely to obscure it. In Dubai, the Code of Construction Safety Practice §6.2(7) and (8) calls for exit signs of a stored-energy type that emit light when the power shuts off, and legible red letters at least 15 cm high. Caveat: we could not verify the text of the fire code itself, so this page claims no luminance class and no product approval; the building's approved fire drawings govern.

Green: exits, escape doors and escape routesRed: firefighting equipment

What the code requires

One example of what such drawings call up: photoluminescent exit and escape-route signs, with types and quantities taken from the sign schedule on the approved drawing, not from this page. For the fire systems themselves and their compliance, see SafePass's Civil Defence sector.

Who is responsible

The documents above do not name who is responsible for installing exit signs on a construction site. What the DMCC bulletin does say is that installation goes through Civil Defence-approved contractors. For anything else, refer to the permit conditions, the contract and the approved fire drawings to establish who supplies, fixes and maintains the signs.

What an inspection against these clauses looks at

• Whether fire signage was placed following a fire risk assessment (§3.9).
• Whether green and red are used as Table 3 sets out.
• Whether each exit sign sits immediately above its opening or where smoke is least likely to hide it (§3.9.2).
• Whether directional arrows are present where the exit cannot be seen.
• Whether powered signs have a back-up supply (§3.5(b)).
• In Dubai: whether exit signs are of a stored-energy type and the red letters are at least 15 cm (§6.2).
• Whether installed signs match the approved fire drawings and their sign schedule.

Typical gaps against the requirement

These follow from the clause wording and carry no claim about how often they occur:

• An exit sign that cannot be seen in a power failure because it neither stores energy nor has a back-up supply.
• A sign set away from the exit opening or behind something that hides it.
• No directional arrows in a corridor from which the exit is not visible.
• Letters smaller than 15 cm on a Dubai site.
• Temporary partitions, screening or finishes that cover a sign or an escape route.
• Signs chosen from a supplier catalogue without checking them against the approved drawing's schedule.

Checklist

• ☐ I hold the approved fire and life safety drawing and its sign schedule.
• ☐ A fire risk assessment was completed before signage was placed.
• ☐ Each exit sign sits immediately above its opening or where smoke is least likely to obscure it.
• ☐ Green for exits and routes, red for firefighting equipment.
• ☐ Directional arrows where the exit cannot be seen.
• ☐ Powered signs have a back-up supply.
• ☐ Dubai: stored-energy exit signs with red letters of at least 15 cm.
• ☐ Arabic and English wording where the drawing calls for it.
• ☐ Installation goes through the Civil Defence-approved contractor route where required.
• ☐ No temporary screening, partition or finish hides a sign or an escape route.
• ☐ Sign positions were walked on site against the drawing before handover.

FAQ

Does ADOSH-SF set a luminance class for photoluminescent signs?

Not in the clauses we reviewed. §3.9 hands the detail to the UAE Fire & Life Safety Code, whose text we could not verify, so we state no figure.

Is a photoluminescent sign always accepted as an exit sign?

Dubai's code speaks of stored-energy exit signs that emit light when the power shuts off, without naming a material or product. The decision rests with the approved fire drawings and the licensing authority.

What letter size is required?

In Dubai, §6.2(8) requires legible red letters at least 15 cm high. We found no equivalent figure in §3.9 or §3.5 of the Abu Dhabi code.

Who installs exit signs?

The DMCC bulletin points to Civil Defence-approved contractors. The other documents we relied on do not say, so check the permit conditions.

Does ADPHC approve exit signs?

No. ADPHC administers the ADOSH-SF framework and does not approve products or signs. Fire requirements sit with Civil Defence and the fire code.