Before you go

  • Confirm the scope in writing: sites, floors, inside, outside, and sign types included.
  • Get a plan for each area. A photo of the fire plan by the entrance works if there's nothing else.
  • Agree your sign types and fields, so every surveyor records the same thing.
  • Book access: keys, roof or plant room access, and the site contact's phone number.
  • Check the weather and daylight for outdoor and illuminated signs. Lit signs need checking after dark too.
A sign's details on a phone: the photo button, reference, status, type, material, size and mounting
A sign's photo and details on a phone, filled in on site. Demo data.

What to take

  • A charged phone, plus a power bank.
  • A tape measure and a laser measure for high or large signs.
  • Binoculars or a zoom lens for fascia details at height.
  • Hi-vis and any site-specific PPE.
  • A torch for plant rooms, stairwells and checking lit signs.

At each sign

  1. Pin it on the plan and record a GPS position if it's outdoors.
  2. Give it the next reference number.
  3. Set the sign type: for example fascia, projecting, totem, wayfinding, door, safety or statutory.
  4. Note the message, or the brand elements that will change.
  5. Measure it, and note the material and finish.
  6. Note illumination and whether it's working.
  7. Note the fixing and access: height, and whether a ladder, scaffold or platform is needed.
  8. Rate the condition: good, faded, damaged, not working or missing.
  9. Set the action: keep, repair, replace, remove or add.
  10. Take three photos: straight on, a close-up of damage or fixings, and one showing where it is.

Safety and statutory signs

  • Can every final exit and escape route be followed by signs from any point in the building?
  • Are fire exit signs the current pictogram style, and consistent along each route?
  • Is there a sign at every fire extinguisher, fire alarm call point and fire door that needs one?
  • Are signs visible, not blocked by stock, doors or displays, and lit where the route needs it?

This is a prompt, not a fire risk assessment. Report concerns to the site's responsible person. See UK safety signage rules.

Before you leave site

  • Walk the escape routes once more, looking only for missing signs.
  • Check the totals by area against what you expected.
  • Make sure every sign has at least one photo.
  • Note anything you couldn't reach or see, so the gap is visible in the report.

With Signcensus each of these steps happens on the phone as you go, so the schedule is finished when you leave site. Start a free trial.

Questions

What equipment do I need for a signage survey?
A phone with a good camera, a power bank, a tape measure, a laser measure for high signs, binoculars or a zoom lens, a torch, and hi-vis or any PPE the site requires.
Should I survey illuminated signs at night?
Yes, if you need to know whether they work. Note the lit signs during the day survey and check them after dark, or ask the site to switch them on.