EMERGENCY LIGHTING

Background

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 brought together all the elements of fire safety under one roof. Included within the fire safety remit is the requirement for emergency lighting within commercial premises.

The primary function of emergency lighting is to provide sufficient illumination for people exiting a building in the event of an emergency. It is vital that emergency lighting comes on if the normal lighting fails. It needs to be sufficiently bright, illuminated for enough time, and the light sources positioned so the occupants of a building can be evacuated safely in an emergency.

BS-5266 Emergency Lighting, the Code of Practice for the emergency lighting of premises, offers simple guidance on the positioning of emergency luminaries; minimum height levels; acceptable glare levels; and minimum routine testing schedules.

Durham Electrics electrical contractors are fully aware of the requirements and recommendations of Emergency Lighting Code BS-5266 and have many years experience in the installation of emergency lighting in both small and large commercial premises.

To make sure the safety of your employees in an emergency, contact Durham Electrics to discuss the installation of emergency lighting in your company premises or to arrange regular maintenance checks on your existing emergency lighting system.

Testing

Daily - visual checks should be completed to check that the lights are working

Monthly - check all lighting are in good condition. Test the lights briefly (not exceeding 10 minutes)

Annual - Full system test should be completed by a competent engineer. This test should be a full rated duration test of the whole system.

Landlords / HMOs

It is also vital that landlords to Houses in multiple occupation (HMO) fully understand their legal obligation to emergency lighting, installation, testing and maintenance. If in doubt you can speak with one of our electricians who will provide you with this information.