Compliance - Emergency Lighting

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Emergency lighting is normally required to operate fully automatically and give illumination of a sufficiently high level to enable all occupants to evacuate the premises safely. Most new buildings have emergency lighting installed during construction; the design and type of equipment being specified by the architect in accordance with current Building Regulations and any local authority requirements.

The British Standard provides the emergency lighting designer with clear guidelines to work to. BS 5266-1 relates not only to hotels, clubs, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and colleges, licensed premises, offices, museums, shops but also multi-storey dwellings. Although the standard recommends the types and backup duration for each category of premises, it should be remembered that standards define a minimum requirement and that a higher specification may be required for a particular application.

BS 5266 - Code of practice

BS 5266 define detailed requirements for inspection and testing at regular intervals. Emergency lighting testing requirements are detailed in ICEL 1008 and the general schedule of requirements is shown as follows;

Daily

Visually check that all maintained lamps are operating and that all system healthy indicators on Central Power Supply Systems.
Check that any recorded system fault is given urgent attention and record all corrective actions in the logbook provided

Bi-Annually

Carry out the inspection and testing as described in the monthly test schedule, but conduct a test of the equipment for one third of its rated duration.

Monthly

Check all luminaries and other emergency lighting equipment are in a good condition, all lamps and light controllers are clean, undamaged and not blackened.
Briefly test all emergency lighting equipment by simulating a failure of the normal lighting supply. Check that all equipment functions correctly

Annually

A full system test should be conducted by a competent service engineer including a full rated duration test of the system.

Benefits of having your emergency lighting maintained;

Lighting can fail for a number of reasons, but if it happens to go out during the winter months and during a working period for your business, productivity will take an immense hit. That's not the only benefit though.

Lighting when you need it most
Emergency lighting (when properly maintained), is always on and therefore something of a godsend if the main lights happen to go out when you need them most. That's not the only benefit though.

Potentially lifesaving in the event of a fire
Should an incident occur that requires the premises to be evacuated, emergency lighting will ensure employees can make their way safely to the most appropriate exit.

Long-lasting, durable and environmentally friendly
Modern emergency lighting systems are usually powered by LED technology, which offers a number of fantastic benefits: less fragile, enhanced lifespans, increased energy efficiency and can be turned on and off with damage being caused.