You finished the drywall, the panel is energized, and the client wants the keys. Before you sign off on a commercial fit-out, the emergency signage is one of the last things that gets a real look — and one of the first things an inspector or insurer notices. Missing or wrong exit signage is an easy deficiency to flag, and it lands back on the contractor who closed out the job.
This is the field checklist I run before handing a space back to the client. It is written for general and electrical contractors doing commercial tenant improvements, not for plan reviewers. The goal is simple: catch the obvious signage problems before someone else does, while you still have a ladder on site and the panel open.
None of this replaces the stamped drawings or a code review. Treat it as the practical pass you do on top of the design — the things that get missed in the field even when the plan is correct on paper.
1. Confirm every exit and exit-access door is identified
Walk the egress path the way an occupant would, not the way the drawings are organized. Each door that is part of the means of egress should be marked, and any door that could be mistaken for an exit (a storage closet, an electrical room) should not carry an exit sign. In Canada the recognized symbol is the green “running man” pictogram — the older red “EXIT” / “SORTIE” word signs are being phased out of new installations in favour of the pictogram approach. If your client’s drawings still call for word-based signs, flag it before you order parts.
2. Check sightlines from the back of the room
Stand in the far corner of each occupied space and ask whether an exit sign is actually visible from there. Furniture, ductwork, partial-height partitions and signage installed too high or too low all create dead zones. A sign that is technically present but not visible from the occupied area does not do its job. Note any location where you need a directional (arrow) sign to bridge a turn in the corridor.
3. Verify directional signs at every decision point
Anywhere the egress path turns, branches, or is not obvious, an occupant needs an arrow telling them which way to go. The classic miss is a long corridor with a sign at the exit but nothing at the intersection halfway down. Make a quick note at each junction: is the direction of travel unambiguous from here? If not, add a directional pictogram. Pay attention to the arrow orientation too — a left-pointing arrow that should point right is worse than no sign at all, because it actively sends people the wrong way.
4. Test the integral battery and self-test function
Most modern exit signs are LED units with a back-up battery so the pictogram stays lit during a power failure. Hit the test button (or kill the circuit) on each unit and confirm it stays illuminated. Units with a self-diagnostic feature usually show a status LED — confirm it reads healthy, not a fault colour. If you are installing new hardware, a combined sign-plus-battery unit such as a green running man LED exit sign with back-up battery keeps the wiring simple on a tenant fit-out where you do not want a separate central battery system.
5. Confirm mounting height and orientation
Signs that are too high get lost above smoke level; signs that are too low get blocked by people and furniture. Mount the pictogram so it is clearly readable from the approach, and make sure ceiling-suspended or wall-mounted units face the direction of travel they are meant to serve. Double-sided units at a junction should read correctly from both approaches. Also confirm the unit is mechanically secure — a sign hanging from one anchor or rotating loose on its stem is a callback waiting to happen, and it reads as sloppy work to anyone who walks the space after you.
6. Check the photoluminescent and low-location signage, if specified
Some occupancies and some clients specify photoluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) path marking in addition to powered signs, especially in stairwells. If it is on your scope, confirm it has been charged by ambient light and is mounted at the height called for in the spec. Do not assume it is “extra” you can skip — if it is on the drawings, it is part of the deficiency list.
7. Reconcile signage against the approved drawings
Before you call it done, lay your as-built signage against the stamped egress plan. Count the units, confirm the locations, and note any field changes you made (a relocated wall, an added partition) that moved a sign from where the drawing put it. This is the document that protects you if the placement is ever questioned.
8. Leave the client a short close-out note
Hand over the model numbers, the battery test date, and a one-line maintenance reminder: exit signs should be function-tested on a routine schedule, and the batteries do not last forever. A two-minute note now saves a callback later and signals that the work was done properly.
A note on standards and who decides
Exit signage in Canada is governed by the building code and fire code that apply in your jurisdiction, and the running man pictogram is referenced through CSA standards for safety signs. The exact requirements — sizes, illumination, where directional signs are mandatory — depend on the occupancy classification and the edition of the code your municipality has adopted. This checklist is a field aid, not a code interpretation. When an installation is borderline, the authority having jurisdiction (your local building or fire official) is the one who decides, and it is worth a phone call before you order or relocate units. The CNESST also provides general guidance on workplace safety signage as part of an employer’s prevention obligations; you can review its workplace prevention resources for the occupational side.
Bottom line
Emergency signage is low-cost and high-visibility — it is the kind of detail that makes a fit-out look finished or unfinished. Running this checklist before handover takes maybe fifteen minutes per floor and keeps the deficiency back to you to a minimum. For the signage products themselves and the broader range of compliant safety signs, our overview of industrial signage in Canada is a useful starting point before you spec a job.