LIGHTING
Emergency lighting: a strategic advantage
Michael Goodman, senior key accounts manager at Clevertronics, explores the importance of emergency and exit lighting and how approaches such as smart monitoring, long life batteries, energy efficiency, BMS integration, and sustainable design are elevating these systems from regulatory compliance tools to essential pillars of resilient healthcare facilities.
The need for resilient, efficient, and future-ready healthcare infrastructure has never been more urgent. As the world experiences an increase in healthcare demand driven by population growth, aging demographics, climate volatility, and global health crises, healthcare buildings must be prepared to operate under both normal and emergency conditions. At the heart of operational continuity and life safety is a system sometimes taken for granted: emergency and exit lighting.
Despite its foundational role in patient and staff safety,
emergency lighting is often overlooked in broader infrastructure planning conversations. Yet, it represents one of the simplest yet most impactful areas where future- proofing efforts can be implemented immediately, and cost-effectively.
The critical role of emergency and exit lighting in healthcare settings In any commercial building, emergency and exit lighting is essential. In a hospital or health facility, its importance is amplified. Healthcare facilities operate continuously, often with vulnerable, immobile, or critically ill patients and visiting public who are unfamiliar with the complex built environment. Emergency and exit lighting serve multiple key functions: n Illuminates pathways for safe evacuation during power outages or fire incidents.
n Supports staff in continuing critical procedures during disruptions.
n Reinforces compliance with building codes and healthcare accreditation standards.
n Improves evacuation response times during crisis situations.
In short, when emergency lighting fails, the consequences can be life-threatening. However, merely installing compliant systems is no longer enough.
Understanding compliance In Australia, the National Construction Code (NCC) prescribes emergency lighting and the minimum standard for emergency lighting is AS/NZS 2293, which governs performance, installation, and maintenance. The standard mandates: n Specific illuminance levels for exit paths. n System duration (typically 90 minutes under battery power).
n Periodic inspection and testing. n Accurate and up-to-date record keeping.
The standard ensures that the emergency lighting is installed appropriately and is always ready to operate if and when required. Beyond the standard, modern health care facility managers are facing additional challenges. These pressures are increasing and include such things as ready access to data, prioritising environmental goals, and operating under increasing cost constraints. Healthcare facility managers must therefore adopt a
future-focused mindset beyond the minimum performance requirements of the standard: maintaining compliance, but also building for continuity, innovation, and resilience.
Key challenges in today’s emergency lighting systems Healthcare facilities across Australia are at varying stages of maturity in their emergency lighting systems. Some of the common challenges observed include:
1. Ageing infrastructure and legacy technologies Many public and private hospitals are operating with emergency lighting systems that were installed over a decade ago. These legacy systems are typically: n Less energy efficient. n Based on outdated battery technologies (e.g. NiCd or NiMH).
n Difficult and expensive to maintain. n Prone to inconsistent performance or system-wide failures.
n Installed with first cost considerations rather than whole- of-life approach.
August 2026 Health Estate Journal 37
Emergency and exit lighting illuminate pathways for safe evacuation.
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