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May 18, 2021

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emergency lighting

How to stay safe with emergency lighting

Emergency lighting plays a central role in the health and safety of those working in harsh, hazardous and industrial environments. Here, Mark Poutney, Senior Engineering Manager at Chalmit, explores some of the most important considerations senior decision makers need to bear in mind.

What is emergency lighting and why do we need it?

emergency exit lightingMark Poutney (MP): “There are three categories of emergency lighting to consider:

  • Emergency escape lighting – to enable people to evacuate immediately from a facility
  • Emergency safety lighting – to enable safe movement within a facility when evacuation is not required
  • Standby lighting – emergency luminaires powered by an alternative power supply to enable normal working activity to continue in the event of a power failure.

“In harsh and hazardous environments, safety, of the workers and the facility itself, must always be the number one concern for decision makers; it’s the main reason why emergency lighting is an absolute necessity. It’s essential that in the case of an emergency, good lighting can be relied upon to enable people to evacuate efficiently, seeing well to avoid hazards and obstacles, while not needing to worry about the risk of lights igniting from gas and dust. When plunged into darkness, already dangerous facilities pose an even greater threat. Senior figures within a business cannot afford to undervalue the importance of dedicated emergency lighting.”

What options exist for providing emergency lighting?

(MP): “Traditionally, fluorescent luminaires have been relied upon to provide the light source in the case of an emergency. The problem is that while fluorescent bulbs provide good colour rendering and clarity, they are vulnerable in industrial and hazardous settings, mainly because of their moving parts, which include unstable filaments that can easily incur damage. Another option is conventional high-intensity discharge (HID) solutions, but the problem here is that it can take up to ten minutes for such lamps to reach full output. In an emergency situation, it’s critical to have instantaneous light, which brings us to the best light source for these situations, LEDs.

“LEDs provide light instantaneously, are robust in extreme environments, offer good colour rendering – 70-80 colour rendering index (CRI) – and are universal. They can also be used in various environments across a range of different luminaire designs.”

How much illumination Is required?

(MP): “The degree of illumination required for emergency lighting depends on where it is situated. Here are some good rules to follow:

  • Escape routes, e.g. corridors, strips of walkway – an output of one lux per square metre along the centre line of the route
  • Open areas larger than 60 square meters or areas identified as requiring safety illumination – an output of half a lux over the entire floor area
  • High-risk areas, e.g. with dangerous processes – an output no less than ten percent of standard illuminance (in cases where this is less than 150 lux, it must achieve at least 15 lux).”

Where should emergency lighting be located?

emergency exit lighting(MP): “The European Emergency Lighting Standards – BS EN 5226 AND BS EN 50172 – provide a useful guide on points of emphasis to consider for emergency lighting. Certainly, it’s important to determine where the escape route runs in a facility – paying particular attention to stairs, changes of direction and intersections – the locations of escape doors, where open areas are and the locations of high-risk areas and final exit doors.

“Additional points of emphasis that require emergency lighting might include firefighting equipment, first aid points, call and control points, lifts, escalators, moving walkways, toilets, tiled areas, safety signs and escape routes in covered car parks.

“For high-risk workshops, such as ironworks with molten metal or chemical works with concentrated ammonia, it’s often the case that machines will take time to run down in the event of a power failure. For this reason, such areas must have instant emergency lighting available to prevent workers from getting stuck, trapped and potentially injured in the dark.

“It’s a fair estimate that 30 to 40 percent of linear lighting in a harsh, hazardous or industrial environment, should be emergency lighting. It is not something that you can cut corners on.”

What testing and maintenance is required?

(MP): “Emergency lighting is not something that can be installed and forgotten about – it’s simply too critical. It’s important to test emergency luminaires once a month, but to save on time and money, self-testing technology can be built into fixtures. This can check the status of LEDs and batteries; a flashing red light will indicate if there is an issue that can then be addressed. This keeps workers safe, but does assist with the business’ bottom line.”

What batteries work best for emergency lighting?

(MP): “In harsh and hazardous environments, we’ve seen a movement from nickel cadmium to nickel metal hydride in battery cells. Nickel cadmium works well, it’s robust at extreme temperatures, but nickel metal hydride has the extra benefit of enabling the use of smaller battery cells, providing for smaller and lighter units.

“The lifespan of batteries used in emergency lighting usually ranges from four to six years, depending on the ambient they’re exposed to – extreme temperatures will reduce lifespans.

“Therefore, anything that can make the maintenance of emergency lighting easier is a massive benefit. For instance, at Chalmit, the Protecta X, our latest linear LED luminaire, includes a swappable, externally accessible battery. This saves on the time and money it would take to isolate power and open up the luminaire to do the same job.”

A final word

(MP): “A panic initiated by darkness, especially one taking place in a dangerous environment, can cause confusion, stampedes and injuries. This is why emergency lighting must be given the respect it deserves. It’s essential that environments are kitted out to give people a clear chance to identify escape routes and exit facilities in a timely and safe way.

“When implementing an emergency lighting strategy, always check the codes and standards that apply, and note there’s not always one solution for an entire facility; multiple areas might require special consideration.”

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