diff --git a/src/conmon.c b/src/conmon.c
index 77250fbc..ade1af79 100644
--- a/src/conmon.c
+++ b/src/conmon.c
@@ -312,9 +312,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		.pid_to_handler = pid_to_handler,
 		.exit_status_cache = NULL,
 	};
-	int signal_fd = get_signal_descriptor(SIGCHLD);
+	int signal_fd = get_signal_descriptor();
 	if (signal_fd < 0)
-		pexit("Failed to create signalfd for SIGCHLD");
+		pexit("Failed to create signalfd");
 	int signal_fd_tag = g_unix_fd_add(signal_fd, G_IO_IN, on_signalfd_cb, &data);
 
 	if (opt_exit_command)
diff --git a/src/ctr_exit.c b/src/ctr_exit.c
index a2eeed7c..9c9d19b4 100644
--- a/src/ctr_exit.c
+++ b/src/ctr_exit.c
@@ -81,9 +81,8 @@ gboolean on_signalfd_cb(gint fd, G_GNUC_UNUSED GIOCondition condition, gpointer
 {
 	struct pid_check_data *data = (struct pid_check_data *)user_data;
 
-	/* dequeue the signal from the signalfd */
-	int sig = dequeue_signal_event(fd);
-	g_assert_cmpint(sig, ==, SIGCHLD);
+	/* drop the signal from the signalfd */
+	drop_signal_event(fd);
 
 	check_child_processes(data->pid_to_handler, data->exit_status_cache);
 	return G_SOURCE_CONTINUE;
diff --git a/src/utils.c b/src/utils.c
index a417035e..e7adc1ba 100644
--- a/src/utils.c
+++ b/src/utils.c
@@ -61,6 +61,14 @@ static bool retryable_error(int err)
 }
 #endif
 
+static void get_signal_descriptor_mask(sigset_t *set)
+{
+	sigemptyset(set);
+	sigaddset(set, SIGCHLD);
+	sigaddset(set, SIGUSR1);
+	sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, set, NULL);
+}
+
 ssize_t write_all(int fd, const void *buf, size_t count)
 {
 	size_t remaining = count;
@@ -94,21 +102,18 @@ int set_pdeathsig(int sig)
 	return prctl(PR_SET_PDEATHSIG, sig);
 }
 
-int get_signal_descriptor(int sig)
+int get_signal_descriptor()
 {
 	sigset_t set;
-	sigemptyset(&set);
-	sigaddset(&set, sig);
-	sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, &set, NULL);
+	get_signal_descriptor_mask(&set);
 	return signalfd(-1, &set, SFD_CLOEXEC);
 }
 
-int dequeue_signal_event(int fd)
+void drop_signal_event(int fd)
 {
 	struct signalfd_siginfo siginfo;
 	ssize_t s = read(fd, &siginfo, sizeof siginfo);
 	g_assert_cmpint(s, ==, sizeof siginfo);
-	return siginfo.ssi_signo;
 }
 
 #endif
@@ -129,12 +134,10 @@ int set_pdeathsig(int sig)
 	return procctl(P_PID, getpid(), PROC_PDEATHSIG_CTL, &sig);
 }
 
-int get_signal_descriptor(int sig)
+int get_signal_descriptor()
 {
 	sigset_t set;
-	sigemptyset(&set);
-	sigaddset(&set, sig);
-	sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, &set, NULL);
+	get_signal_descriptor_mask(&set);
 
 	int kq = kqueue();
 	fcntl(kq, F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC);
@@ -146,14 +149,13 @@ int get_signal_descriptor(int sig)
 	return kq;
 }
 
-int dequeue_signal_event(int kq)
+void drop_signal_event(int kq)
 {
 	struct kevent kev;
 	int n = kevent(kq, NULL, 0, &kev, 1, NULL);
 	if (n != 1) {
 		pexit("failed to read signal event");
 	}
-	return kev.ident;
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/src/utils.h b/src/utils.h
index f3cf8534..ee4ec5b2 100644
--- a/src/utils.h
+++ b/src/utils.h
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ int set_subreaper(gboolean enabled);
 
 int set_pdeathsig(int sig);
 
-int get_signal_descriptor(int sig);
-int dequeue_signal_event(int fd);
+int get_signal_descriptor();
+void drop_signal_event(int fd);
 
 #endif /* !defined(UTILS_H) */