ARE YOUR EMERGENCY LIGHTING SYSTEMS FIT FOR PURPOSE?

MEGAMAN? UK Sales Director Micaela Abbott asks the question;

"ARE YOUR EMERGENCY LIGHTING SYSTEMS FIT FOR PURPOSE?"

The importance of effective emergency lighting in the event of a power failure should not be underestimated. Whether it is to allow a swift and safe evacuation or to ensure occupants do not face additional hazards if they are required to remain inside the building, the correct solution must be in place and compliant with the regulations.

Emergency lighting, also referred to as escape lighting, should operate automatically in the event of a power failure and is required in all new and refurbished public, commercial and high density residential buildings.?It should be designed to illuminate any potential dangers, including changes in floor height, as well as to allow occupants to easily locate equipment such as extinguishers, fire blankets and first aid kits.

There are two main sources of regulation with regard to emergency lighting - the?Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) and the?building regulations. The RRO applies to all non-domestic buildings in England and Wales and places the onus for ensuring fire safety on the ‘responsible person’, such as an employer or the person who has control of the premises. This includes a responsibility for the emergency lighting system.

While the precise requirements differ across the Building Regulations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Building Standards in Scotland, all the documents use British Standard BS 5266 for guidance on the intensity, duration and placement of emergency lighting. It is also important to remember that while the lighting system may have been compliant when the building was constructed, any refurbishment or changes to the internal layout will mean the emergency lighting must be reassessed and updated.

Choosing the right solutions

The type of emergency lighting chosen will depend on the characteristics of the building. At Megaman our extensive?TEMPUS??range has products to suit any requirement, including wall and ceiling mounted LED illuminated fire exit signs alongside?recessed LED downlights and spotlights. For high-quality solutions with additional functionality, we have our Performa products. Meanwhile the emergency lighting from our Essentials range provides reliable and cost effective options for any project.

Emergency lighting can be provided by maintained or non-maintained luminaires. In a maintained system the selected luminaries will form part of the everyday lighting of the building and simply switch to a battery backup when the power fails. Unmaintained systems consist of separate fittings that only activate in an emergency.

There is also a choice of power source for the lighting, which can be either a battery pack connected to each light or a centralised backup battery that supplies power to all emergency luminaires on the system. For most types of project, standalone units can deliver greater cost effectiveness, simplicity and flexibility. Furthermore, there are also emergency lighting conversion kits available that allow existing standard luminaires to be used as emergency lighting. For example, we have easy to install emergency kits for our GU10 fittings and LED panels.

Finally, ongoing maintenance and testing must be considered carefully. By their nature emergency lighting systems are only rarely activated so a robust testing procedure is necessary to ensure compliance and provide assurance it will function as intended when needed.?

Products with self-testing features make this process simple as it removes the need to manually test each light fixture within a building, which can be time consuming. If a failure is detected the maintenance team is alerted by a visual indication at the fitting, meaning faults can be addressed immediately. Many of the Performa emergency lighting products in our?TEMPUS??range are self-testing, including the downlights, spotlights and illuminated escape route signs.

Emergency lighting is essential for the safety of all building occupants regardless of the fire or emergency response strategy employed. Ensuring the right solutions are in place not only improves safety but can also make compliance with the regulations simpler.

To find out more about our?TEMPUS??range of emergency lighting products visit our website?www.megamanuk.com.