Nobody’s perfect; and that becomes painstakingly clear when seeing some of the funny, nonsensical and idiotic emergency exit signs. Not only did these signs make it past the drawing board, most of them are still there. (Isn’t there someone out there watching for this kind of thing?). Aside from these signs being just plain silly, they are in fact an extremely dangerous problem. Exit exist to provide a safe route of escape for people, and we’ve all seen what happens when exits aren’t available.
Confusing Emergency Exit Signs
Please stroke the door and use your Jedi mind tricks to exit this building.
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Spell much? FAIL.
You would think that someone at the factory might’ve noticed this error. Or maybe the guy who installed it migth’ve noticed it. But for some reason it’s still there.
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Hope there isn’t a fire here.
I wouldn’t want to be in this building if something disastrous ever happened.
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Some Exit Signs Just Make Good Sense
To exit, all the members of your group must run at each other?
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Exits Aren’t For Everybody
That seems like discrimination….
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“WRONG WAY” or “GNORW YAW” ……???
How something like this happens we don’t know. Signs like this are sure to cause some problems on the road.
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You’re in Bison Country Now
This way towards the bison, no wait, Bison only exit. Human + Bison joint exit?
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Whatever you do, don’t book this room.
We’re not sure if this is an exit, a janitors closer or an actual room but either way this room is for inconveniently placed.
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No comment.
Most people know left from right, but apparently this operator never learned which one is which.
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Follow Your Evacuation Procedure
LOL, the caption really says it all here.
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A Simple Exit Sign
Ah, now this is a good example of an emergency sign. To exit please run down into a wall? Or maybe jump down the elevator shaft?
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The Hide-A-Exit
Another expertly hidden exit. (you have to push in the fourth brick from the floor to exit)
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Hoked On Fonics
Every word but “Exit” is misspelled on this highway sign in Wisconsin.
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The Vortex Exit
The exits are pointing towards each other, so either there’s no exit or there’s a space/time vortex in that doorway.
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28 Comments on "Confusing and Odd Emergency Exit Signs"
I doubt it’s a space-time vortex. I think it’s a form of entertainment; somebody yells “fire!” and everybody stampedes into the same doorway from both directions, creating something YouTubers will enjoy for decades.
On the topic of stampedes, any idea if the bisons are obeying their exit sign?
These are so funny!
The exit sign isn’t messed up. Someone took off the faceplate and put it on upside down and backwards. All of the letters turn out the same except the “T”… the rest are funny though!
Nice photo!
You know what we need? Exit signs outdoors, in the middle of nowhere.
Maybe you are supposed to read “WRONG WAY” or “GNORW YAW” ……??? in the rearview mirror…
The GNORW YAW is correct. If you blow past the Do Not Enter sign that ‘should’ be near it, you will see this sign (WRONG WAY) in your rear view mirror.
RE: Some Exit Signs Just Make Good Sense – To exit, all the members of your group must run at each other?
The second icon is the sign for the designated location outside where personnel should gather in case of a fire, for a headcount and stuff like that. So that exit leads to that location. Pretty clear imo.
“Some Exit Signs Just Make Good Sense” This is a standard cruise ship exit sign – in case of emergency you are (if possible) supposed to gather with your family/travelling companions at your cabin to get your life jackets, then proceed to your lifeboat stations. This is all explained during the life boat drill held within a few hours of embarking.
“Spell much? FAIL.” I used to work in a factory that made signs like these – the plate is upside down. Doubtful that it left the factory this way, more likely the bulb needed replacement & maintenance replaced the faceplate upside down. These exit signs are simply contructed – box that has the light bulb – rectangular colored piece of plastic that give the sign light it’s color – then a stencil of the word “EXIT” Then a frame that snaps on & holds it all together.
Vortex from Half Life/Portal people…come on!
Ha! Love “don’t book this room”!
A nice collection of big FAILS
“A Simple Exit Sign” looks like a Portal reference to me.
lols tarun that was a good picture to find post.
Hmmmm is right about the one you seem to think is a miss-print: it seems fairly obvious to me that, as all the letters apart from T have horizontal plane symmetry, the sign is simply in upside down and back to front.
Also, the Wrong Way one (written backwards) is done intentionally so it can be read in a rear view mirror.
LOL that Wisconsin sign is funny, you would think someone would notice that BEFORE erecting it.
best way to use in case of a fire is elevators. proven! lol
I wonder what you find confusing or odd concerning this sign: “A Simple Exit Sign”
This type of sign is used throughout Europe. The Arrow indicates the direction from your position (running man) to the exit (white rectangle).
Of course you can find silly combinations, like an right arrow where there is no right door but the meaning is as clear (if you have learned it as child) as a red sign that says “EXIT”
When I was in the Corps, one of the buildings I worked in had an emergency exit on the third floor that opened out into thin air. No one had ever replaced the ladders or landings. So you had a choice… burn in the building or take your chances falling three stories.
Wish I had had a camera with me back in those days.
The sign thats backwards, cant that be because the camera takes and flips the image? I’ve seen it before
LoL, great collection!
Technically if the exit sign was upside down and backwards it would start w/ the upside down T and end w/ a backwards E. Therefore it is only upside down…. At least if my logic is still sane…. Who knows?
Dunno why but the evacuation procedure… I laughed so hard I cried and couldn’t stop laughing for a while. Hilarious, nice job.
The backward “Wrong Way” sign is just due to someone taking a picture of it on a digital camera, which flipped the picture around (happens all the time) so it looks funny.
That last one with the exit signs pointing at eachother is a fire door if there is a fire on one side the door wich has either a steel or concrete core is supposed to stop the fire from spreading so if you are on the other side you are safe. In theory
A genuine WTF collection. Thanks for putting this together. I really enjoyed it!
as per the second sign on here, the sign was made correctly, it was just put on upside down
You spelled “Might’ve” wrong on the second pic…I thought someone migth’ve noticed it. But for some reason it’s still there.