Fire & Safety
Emergency lighting: surface vs recessed
Thanks to LED and compact battery technology, surface mounted emergency lighting is now convenient, easy to install and unobtrusive. But is it being unnecessarily overlooked in favour of recessed, in situations where surface-mounted could be the better option? Here, Red Arrow Trading examines how surface mounted lighting has changed, and explore the advantages of latest-generation surface mounted emergency lighting products. Businesses can then choose whether to opt for maintained lighting or
The different types of emergency lighting BS EN 1838 specifies that emergency lighting is required to maintain illumination for a minimum of one to three hours in the event of a power outage, to enable people to safely evacuate a building. The exact time needed depends on the use and risk of the premises, the immediacy of evacuation and the time needed for re-occupation. For example, buildings where people sleep, such as hotels or residences, require battery backup duration of at least 3 hours. Emergency lighting can include a mix of illuminated signage, stand-alone fittings and incorporated lighting.
The main emergency lighting requirements for commercial premises are: lEscape Route Lighting, which guides occupants through exit routes.
lOpen Area Emergency Lighting (also known as ‘anti-panic’ lighting) that maintains illumination in open areas, allowing people to calmly find their escape route.
lStay put/Safety Lighting that allows occupants to stay in the building until there is one hour of illumination left, before being escorted to a safe place.
lHigh Risk Task Area lighting may also be required in certain industrial or mechanical environments but is covered by different requirements to the one discussed in this article (for more information on High Risk Task Area bulkheads please contact Red Arrow directly).
28 | electrical wholesalerFebruary 2022
non-maintained lighting, self-contained or central battery sourced systems, and recessed or non-recessed models.
Maintained lighting is constantly kept on, either as part of the ‘normal’ lighting system or permanently illuminated signage (such as Exit signs found in theatres and cinemas). These luminaires are mains powered when in everyday use but powered by a backup battery in the event of power failure. Maintained emergency lights can be differentiated from other ‘normal’ lights by a green indicator light.
Switch Maintained lighting is used as part of the ‘normal’ lighting system but can be switched off when not in use (but will still function in an emergency).
Non-maintained lighting only comes on when the power supply to the everyday lighting system fails. These are powered by a battery that is charged by mains power and activates in the event of power failure to the fitting.
Self-contained or ‘single point’ emergency lights each have their own
battery source, while central battery source emergency lights connect several lights to one battery. Finally, recessed emergency lights sit flush to ceilings and walls, with the
battery hidden behind them, while surface-mounted emergency lights affix to the surface – batteries included – with only a small hole needed to hardwire the fixture to the mains.
ewnews.co.uk
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