Emergency Lighting 

Do I need Emergency Lighting!? Most businesses do.. Here's some 'illuminating' information. 

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In an emergency situation, any failure of the main power supply can have a disastrous effect. Sudden darkness can pose threats, and hazards, to occupants of the property, either through physical injury or panic. Emergency Lighting can be an effective and extremely useful solution, as it is able to operate automatically, and provides enough illumination for safe and efficient evacuation.

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Emergency Escape Lighting needs to remain on for a minimum duration of three hours, in premises that you cannot evacuate immediately, such as places where people sleep, like hotels.

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Emergency Lighting is usually powered by rechargeable batteries that self-charge from the mains power, or other power sources.  The lights, known as ‘luminaries’, are either on constantly (‘maintained’) or are triggered by an interruption in the main power supply (‘non-maintained’)

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Where is Emergency Escape Lighting necessary?

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In detail, as noted in the HM Government publication Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops (p 100), an Emergency Escape Lighting System should normally cover the following:

 

Each exit door

Escape routes

Intersection of corridors

Outside each final exit and on external escape routes

Emergency escape signs

Stairways so that each flight receives adequate light

Changes in floor level

Windowless rooms and toilet accommodation exceeding 8m²

Fire-fighting equipment

Fire alarm call points

Equipment that would need to be shut down in an emergency

Lifts

Areas in premises greater than 60m²

It is not necessary to provide individual lights (luminaires) for each item above, but there should be a sufficient overall level of light to allow them to be visible and usable.

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Is Emergency Lighting a Legal Requirement?

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The provision of Emergency Lighting is a legal requirement in almost all buildings, other than private residential dwellings.

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The relevant legal instrument is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Section 14 (2) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (2005) states:

 

(g) emergency routes and exits must be indicated by signs; and

 

(h) emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting.

The RRO (2005) is legally enforceable and the penalties for breach include fines and imprisonment.

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Is Emergency Lighting Testing a legal requirement?

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The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states:

Section 17 (1) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (2005) states:

 

In order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons the responsible person must ensure that the equipment and devices provided under this Order are subject to a suitable system of maintenance, and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.

The most certain way to ensure compliance with the RRO with respect to Emergency Lighting is to follow the relevant British Standard, which is BS5266-1:2016.

Section 12 (1) of BS5266-1:2016 states:
 

Emergency Lighting systems should be inspected and tested at regular intervals in accordance with BS EN 50172.

 

The testing may be performed manually, but if the responsible person is unable to ensure that this will be done, it is advisable to use an automatic test system to perform the tests at the required intervals.

 

Functional operation should be checked at least every month.
Testing for full rated duration should be performed on each luminaire at least annually.

So, the legal basis for Emergency Lighting is very clear – it is a legal requirement.

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