Emergency Lighting
standards for the designer, installer and the maintainer. The responsible person must ensure they engage competent people for all stages of procurement and operation of the emergency lighting system.
An installation laid out by lighting
always provide the 5 lux required on the face of the non-internally illuminated signs, due to their heavily downward based photometry. Photometric data should be carefully considered as they vary considerably and vertical illuminances in areas, for example, fire alarm manual call points and first aid points, must be lit within the 2m distance recommended by BS 5266. Traditional halogen fittings were already tested with an understanding that there would be a temperature fluctuation when switching from normal to emergency mode. With the rapid increase in the usage of LED
fittings, it is important to understand that with any emergency fitting the introduction of batteries and an invertor to the interior of the luminaire can change the ambient temperature and therefore the operation and output of the fitting. Additionally, as a manufacturer of LED
emergency luminaires, it is important that our product designers understand the important specification requirements. The specific tests we carry out ensure that when in their emergency state, our fittings perform to the full compatibility of the battery unit to deliver the required emergency luminaire lumens and that there is no impact on the published characteristics of the LEDs or drivers. The manufacturers undertaking the
conversion from standard halogen fittings to LED would be responsible for re-undertaking the LED thermal testing of the luminaire. To adhere to the British Standard, manufacturers who have emergency versions of catalogue products would be expected to have carried out full product testing on the emergency version to confirm the photometrics. GreenBrook has all their luminaires tested by an independent test house and have all photometric data available to pass onto designers and contractors.
Who is ultimately responsible for the Emergency Lighting? The building owner is required to prepare a risk assessment detailing the emergency-lighting risks they have identified. In the case of a multi- occupancy building, the tenants are responsible for doing a risk assessment for their tenanted area, and the landlord is responsible for the common areas. It is now considered that emergency lighting is a primary factor in fire safety and should enable occupants to immediately locate fire-fighting equipment and alarms.
BS5266 refers in more detail to competency
ewnews.co.uk August 2019 electrical wholesaler | 23
designers with basic knowledge of electrical engineering could be photometrically calculated and could give the suitable briefing information to the electrical installer. The regulations define that the building owner/organization is the responsible person to arrange the emergency lighting procurement and, as such, they must ensure the correct provision, operation and testing of the emergency lighting system(s).
Best-practice methodology responsibility includes: ● A competent design ● A competent installation ● Annual risk assessments (including regular testing with audited test records proving the continuing functionality of emergency lighting system(s), including photometric performance at the end of stated duration) ● An updated emergency lighting log book
Ideally Testing should include: ● A daily visual check of any central controls if a centrally powered system with slave luminaires is installed; ● A monthly function test by operating the test facility for a period sufficient to ensure that each emergency lamp illuminates ● An annual full discharge test to ensure that the lamps are lit for the full discharge period (usually 3 hours) and that the batteries are re- charging A typical test is using a key operated switch that is located either near the main fuse board or adjacent to relevant light switches. This is also known as a ‘secret key’ switch, as it is designed to allow testing of emergency lights while preventing non-authorised operation of the test switch. Following a full discharge test the batteries
typically take 24 hours to re-charge. The premises should not be re-occupied until the lighting
system is fully functioning. It is best practice to keep a record of all tests in the safety/ risk assessment logbook. New emergency fittings come complete with
an auto testing feature which can be cost effective and more reliable than manual testing. It’s considered the best way to meet current testing regulations and reduces the burden of testing manually. Even though Emergency Lighting is a legal
requirement, we can now choose a variety of styles from downlights to bulkheads to ensure the fitting is in keeping with its surroundings. GreenBrook’s Phoenix range is a selection of
LED Twin spots, Downlights, bulkheads, exit signs, recessed lights and emergency gear trays.
For further information please visit:
greenbrook.co.uk
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