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Custom Building Signage Solutions
Occupational Safety & Fire Safety Planning
Log Books, Compliance & Codes
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Emergency Response, Evacuation & Egress
Tactile Signs and Floor Identification Markers
First Aid Products & Signs
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No Smoking Signs and Products
Traffic, Parking & Private Property
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Tactile Wayfinding Solutions
Floor & Stairwell Tactile Signs
Floor & Stairwell Tactile Signs play an important role in both life safety and accessibility by helping occupants, building staff and emergency responders quickly identify their location within a multi-storey building. Installed at exit stair doors, these signs display the assigned floor number and stair designation using high-contrast visual text together with raised tactile characters, making essential wayfinding information accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. Consistent floor & stair identification improves everyday navigation while reducing confusion during emergencies, when clearly identifying the correct floor and exit stair can be critical.
Building code requirements for these signs have evolved over time, which is why older buildings often have different stairwell signage than newer construction. Many existing buildings were built under previous editions of the Building Code that required floor identification but did not include today's accessibility provisions. Under the current Ontario Building Code, Article 3.4.6.19 requires assigned floor numbers and exit stair-shaft designations to be provided in both visual and tactile forms on the floor side and stair side of exit stair doors. Because these are tactile information signs, they must also comply with the applicable accessibility requirements, including raised characters and Braille in accordance with CSA B651. Existing buildings are not automatically required to replace compliant older signs simply because the Code has changed; however, new construction, additions and many renovation or accessibility upgrade projects must meet the current requirements. Similar accessibility requirements exist across Canada, with each province adopting its own building code, while U.S. projects typically follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design.
Safety Media manufactures Floor & Stairwell Tactile Signs for new construction, retrofit and replacement projects throughout Canada. We offer tactile-only and tactile/Braille signs, combined floor-number and stair-designation layouts, circled identifiers, photoluminescent options and custom configurations manufactured to your approved sign schedule. Whether you are replacing missing stair signs, upgrading an existing building or completing a new development, our team can review your drawings, verify code requirements and produce a coordinated signage package for a single building or an entire property portfolio, with professional installation services available.
Floor & Stairwell Tactile Signs FAQ
Do floor and stairwell signs need to be installed on both sides of the door?
For Ontario buildings where Article 3.4.6.19 of the Ontario Building Code applies, the assigned floor number and exit stair-shaft designation must be permanently mounted on the wall on both the stair side and the floor side of doors to exit stair shafts. The signs are positioned at the latch side of the door. Requirements can differ for buildings and projects in other provinces, so architectural drawings or the approved sign schedule should be reviewed before quantities and mounting locations are finalized.
Are floor and stairwell identification signs required to include Braille?
It depends on the applicable building code and the scope of your project. Under the current Ontario Building Code, floor numbers and exit stair-shaft designations required by Article 3.4.6.19 must be provided in both visual and tactile forms. Because these are considered tactile information signs, they must also comply with the Code's accessibility requirements, including raised characters and Braille in accordance with CSA B651. These requirements generally apply to new construction and many additions, renovations and accessibility upgrades. Existing buildings that were constructed under earlier editions of the Building Code are not automatically required to replace compliant older signage.