EMERGENCY LIGHTING SYSTEMS To tackle the issue of ‘shirking
responsibility’, the Act reforms the Fire Safety Order, and makes it clearer for residents who to go to for any fire safety concerns, including sub-par emergency lighting systems. The responsible person will also be required to keep updated fire safety information for residents. As Grenfell tragically demonstrated, fire
safety in the UK was dangerously below acceptable standards, and information on compliance testing and the competency of those carrying it out wasn’t always clear and transmissible. The Act overhauls existing regulations, creating lasting change, and makes clear how residential buildings should be constructed, maintained, and made safe.
What should emergency lighting specialists consider when designing and installing new systems for a healthcare facility? When it comes to new emergency lighting systems for the healthcare sector, the company you employ to design, install, test, and maintain, your emergency lighting levels should consider how modern technology alongside human intervention will play its part. For example, you may have had a ‘self-testing’ system installed, but this doesn’t equal ‘fit and forget’. There is still the requirement for real people to check reports and
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To achieve a successful and compliant emergency lighting design and installation, building designers, installers, electrical engineers, and contractors, need to work together. The onus is on everyone in the chain to ensure that this happens
that, subsequently, any remedial work required is actioned. There is also a legal requirement for monthly functionality testing, and annual battery duration (three hours in most cases) tests by law. It is also recommended that the
company you employ uses design software to prove that light levels are compliant, and to provide documentation to prove compliance. This is especially important in high-risk areas and points of emphasis, so that the positioning of emergency lighting provides the correct levels of illuminance, for example, across call points (five lux minimum). To achieve a successful and compliant
emergency lighting design and installation, building designers, installers, electrical engineers, and contractors, need to work together. The onus is on everyone in the chain to ensure that this happens and goes right back to the tender stage; emergency lighting designers should have access to the fire design to cover all
points of emphasis etc, helping to create a compliant scheme.
What qualifications should the person or company responsible for the design and/or installation of my emergency lighting system hold? In fact, there isn’t an industry-recognised qualification specific to emergency lighting. There are, however, several official bodies working together to address this issue, and to potentially create formalised training with a recognised qualification at the end of it, removing the ‘cowboy’ element. Until then, facilities managers, building owners, landlords, and tenants, need to seek out competent, experienced, and qualified design teams and installers to ensure that design compliance is met, with approved equipment installed.
Is saving money possible with the correct choice of emergency lighting? In our homes, most of us now use
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info@precisionuk.co.uk
September 2023 Health Estate Journal 61
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