Emergency Lighting – What Is It And How Does It Work?
Emergency lighting is an extremely important safety feature that is used in a variety of areas. The current law within the UK states all occupied buildings must be fitted with emergency lighting to ensure the safety of everyone in the building.
The requirement for use of emergency lights comes under the Fire Precautions Regulations 1997 & BS5266 in part one for the workplace. It states that building owners must have luminaries in place and are required to test their emergency lighting regularly to make sure that it is in free from errors and in full working order.
Emergency lighting for Escape Routes
Every escape route from a building must be lit by (at least) one light during an emergency evacuation. Also, if the designated route in the building is a corridor, it must also free of obstructions that could cause delay and slow down the evacuation.
Emergency Lighting in Stairwells
Additionally Stairwells pose another high risk for emergency evacuations. Therefore a minimum of two emergency lights must be in place to cover the area.
Emergency Lighting in Open Areas
Similar to escape routes in corridors, one emergency light must be used in all open areas. However, when the open space doesn’t exceed 60 square metres, emergency lights are not required. The exception is all emergency exit doors must have emergency lighting above them to allow people to find and exit the building accordingly.
Different Types of Emergency Lights
There are two commonly used types of emergency lighting. They are maintained and non-maintained. Of course there are also many additional types that can be chosen for your workplace, we would be happy to discuss all your options.
Other examples of emergency lighting, include combined lights, combined self-contained lights and satellite emergency lights.
If you are looking to have emergency lighting fitted in your premises, please call A.O Electrical today to book your free consultation and we will be happy to discuss all options available and which are most suitable for your specific requirements.
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