At Tamlite we know the illumination of an escape route is essential to saving lives and a legal requirement. Emergency lighting must provide safety and peace of mind. Discreet emergency signage and lighting designs enable escape route lighting and illuminated symbols to be incorporated seamlessly. Without drawing undue attention at periods when emergency lighting is not required. The legal requirement is that non-domestic buildings must be safe at all times. Even if mains power failure occurs, the battery needs to power the light fitting for a minimum of three hours.
Testing of emergency lighting throughout private or public buildings is the responsibility of the owner or occupier. Recent developments of online systems, such as Tamlite's e-CONNECT system, enable the incorporation of professional and complete automatic self-testing systems. These allow for scheduled maintenance programes to be carried out, without the need for time-consuming human inspection and costly access.
When selecting an emergency lighting product, the installer should bear in mind the area needing to be covered and select the most appropriate solution to meet those requirements. Manufacturers are legally obliged to have key product data available. Ensure the data has been verified by a trusted third-party, for example the Lighting Industry Association [LIA] or Lux-TSI; that information should be checked by the installer. Emergency fittings will be installed either as replacements or a new installation. Older fluorescent fixtures are often today replaced with LED fixtures. In these situations it is imperative that the replacement LED has an equivalent light output. For linear bulkhead style fixtures the size of the unit is often an indication of light output, and swapping fittings with the same footprint means re-decoration does not have to be carried out.
Maintained luminaires operate as normal light fittings during everyday operation and can be controlled with all other luminaires in the area. When power fails they automatically switch to battery backup. Non-maintained luminaires remain off during everyday operation and will only illuminate if the mains power fails.
An escape route is the quickest, safest and non-obstructed route out of a building. Escape routes, which can include hallways, corridors and stairwells, must be lit to a minimum of 1 lux on the floor along the centre line. The 1m centre band should be illuminated to at least 0.5 lux.
If the open area is over 60m² , then the minimum lighting level on the ground must be no less than 0.5 lux in an emergency. In open areas that are less than 60m2, emergency lighting is not required. However, in this environment, people may be unfamiliar with their surroundings, so emergency lighting should always be taken into consideration. The exit doors for the emergency escape route must have signs or an emergency bulkhead light. In an emergency the occupants may panic. Adequate emergency lighting strategically placed, could reduce the likelihood of panic by enabling safe movement of occupants towards the appropriate escape routes, and providing appropriate visual direction.
To achieve the same light levels in high level applications, a higher output fitting may be needed to achieve the standards.
The advent of LED has seen a revolution in emergency lighting solutions. With virtually no maintenance and high performance, significant savings in installation, energy and maintenance costs can be achieved. Applying sound engineering principles to meet the standards set out in BS EN 60598-2-22:2014 ensures that emergency light fittings meet safety objectives. In addition they ensure satisfaction and reassurance for the building manager, owner occupier, and local authorities, when maintaining a fit-for-purpose installation in line with legal requirements embodied by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
