All businesses need adequate emergency exit signage in place in order to allow employees and customers to safely escape during an emergency. Disasters such as fires and earthquakes can cause a total loss of power, so it's important to make sure the exit signs can be seen easily even when the lights in the building are off during a power outage.

Photoluminescent exit signs are the ideal choice for businesses looking for emergency signage since they're inexpensive and easy to maintain. The paint on the sign contains strontium aluminate, which glows in the dark. The paint absorbs energy from sunlight or indoor lighting. If the lights in the building are out, the paint will glow brightly, illuminating the exit sign. To learn three reasons why photoluminescent exit signs are the best choice for your business' emergency signage, read on.

1. Easy to Maintain

One of the biggest reasons why photoluminescent exit signs are the ideal choice for a business is that they're easy to maintain. Battery-powered exit signs require periodic testing to make sure that they still work when the power's out. Exit signs are often in locations that are difficult for your maintenance staff to reach, which makes testing the batteries inconvenient. Photoluminescent exit signs have no electronic components and don't require batteries in order to function, which makes them more reliable and eliminates the need for periodic testing.

2. Safe for Landfills, Allowing Convenient Disposal

A popular alternative to photoluminescent exit signs are exit signs that are powered by tritium. Tritium is a radioactive substance that glows naturally. Like photoluminescent exit signs, exit signs that contain tritium will glow without the need to connect them to a power source.

Tritium becomes less bright over time, and you'll eventually need to replace the exit sign when it's no longer bright enough to be seen in the darkness. Since tritium is a radioactive substance, you can't put it in a regular landfill. It needs to be disposed of by a hazardous waste service with special certification in handling radioactive materials. The need to hire an outside service to replace tritium-containing exit signs increases their overall ownership costs.

Photoluminescent exit signs, on the other hand, are perfectly safe for landfills and can be discarded alongside your normal trash if you need to replace them.

3. Require No Electrical Connection

Battery-powered exit signs need to be connected to the electrical wiring in your building, which makes them expensive to install. They need electricity to keep their batteries fully charged. While battery-powered exit signs don't use much electricity overall, the costs can add up over the course of several years. Photoluminescent exit signs don't need to be connected to electricity, which saves money on installation and energy costs.

Overall, photoluminescent exit signs are the superior choice for emergency signage because they're easy to maintain and install. You don't have to worry about electrical wiring or potentially disposing of radioactive waste. If your business needs emergency signage to ensure the safety of your employees and customers during an emergency, photoluminescent exit signs are by far the most convenient option. For more information about photoluminescent exit signs, reach out to a local supplier.