Emergency Lighting is required by law.
As part of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, its main purpose is to illuminate escape routes should there be a power shortage or failure to the mains powered lighting in the premises.
As well as covering escape routes, Emergency lighting should also be installed to allow occupants to locate fire-fighting equipment in the event of a fire.
Although every business and building has different requirements, generally Emergency Lighting should be installed in:
- Exits and Fire Escape Routes
- Corridor Intersections
- Stairwells and Lifts
- Fire Alarm Call Points
- Above Fire Fighting equipment
Emergency Lighting is usually powered by rechargeable batteries that self-charge from the mains power or other power source and should only be installed following a full Fire Risk Assessment.
Once installed, UK fire safety legislation stipulates that Emergency Lighting must undergo a full test once a year, and be ‘flick-tested’ at least once a month. So yes, you DO need to get your Emergency Lighting checked on an annual basis.
Your test checks that your Emergency Lighting system and luminaries are in full working order, up to British Standards. We do this by simulating a mains power cut.
Emergency Lighting must be able to operate for a minimum of 1 hour without mains power. Your annual Emergency Lighting test will check that all of your lights turn on and stay on for at least 60 minutes and for as long as 3 hours (depending on the type of batteries you are using).
At Saracen, our industry-approved Emergency Lighting engineers carry out both 1 hour and 3 hour tests.
The requirements of Emergency Lighting as outlined by the ‘Code of Practice for Emergency Lighting, otherwise known as BS 5266-1, states that the person responsible for the fire safety in their building (known as the “responsible person” or “RP”) has to be able to demonstrate that the hardware and maintenance of their fire safety systems are adequate to protect the building’s occupants.
Are you the Responsible Person within your business? Contact us today and let the Saracen experts go through everything with you and ensure you are keeping your employees and/or occupants as safe as possible.
Saracen Fire Protection – your local fire protection experts.
With over 30 years of experience and a growing number of highly satisfied customers, in terms of service and savings, Saracen Fire Protection is one of the leading fire protection and security supply, maintenance businesses; locally and nationally. We provide a comprehensive online service portal to ensure our clients have 24/7 access to all of their fire and security information. We are fully accredited and our engineers are highly skilled and qualified.