What is emergency lighting?
Emergency lights are simple lighting devices
that contain a small battery, which are connected to the buildings
electrical supply. The electrical supply provides a constant charge
to the battery, allowing back-up power to be stored, should a power
outage occur. In the event of an outage, the emergency lights are
triggered to supply enough light for occupants to vacate the
building. Most emergency lights have an internal battery life of the
required minimum of thirty minutes, but some last much longer. This
is particularly useful for large buildings.
Exit signs work similarly to emergency
lighting, but stay on all the time. Because of this, they usually
operate on two bulbs; one operating from the buildings power supply
and one that operates from the internal battery. It is important to
check exit signs even if they seem to be working properly, as the
emergency bulb may have burnt out or the internal battery may fail.
How
often should I test my lighting?
This depends entirely on what type of system
your emergency lighting is running on, but the fire code requires at
least one test each month of 30 seconds, and an annual test of 30
minutes.
Daily
If your emergency lighting runs on a central
back-up system, daily checks are recommended. This means all your
lights are powered by a singular back-up battery or generator. These
checks shouldn't be too time-consuming, but a quick check of the
visual indicators displayed on your central power supply will ensure
there are no issues in the instance of an emergency. You do not need
to inspect the lights themselves, as this can be done as part of the
monthly inspections.
Monthly
For all emergency lighting systems (including
central back-up) a monthly inspection is required. This inspection
must be long enough to ensure that all lights are working for at
least 30 seconds. The reason for this being that faulty lights may
still have enough life in them to operate for a few seconds, only to
cut out soon afterwards. 30 seconds is the minimum required testing
time, so if it takes you longer to walk around the building and check
all lights are present, clean and functioning properly that's fine.
Annually
An annual check testing the emergency lights'
full battery life is required. In most models this is 30 minutes, but
the test should be extended if your lights are expected to last
longer. As with the monthly checks, each light should be inspected
individually to ensure there are no faults. They should be left to
run for the amount of time the battery is expected to. This
inspection should be should be carried out at a time of the year that
is considered low-risk, such as before the Christmas break, as the
batteries will then need time to fully recharge.
How
do I actually test my lights?
There are two methods for testing your
emergency lights system: manually and automatically. Manually
requires a forced power outage to the lights, followed by inspection.
This can be done by switching off the main circuit breaker supplying
power to the lights. Then checking them individually, or by using the
“test” button somewhere on each light's casing. Not all models
include a test button, but these can be ideal for the monthly checks
of 30 seconds, especially if you only have a small number of lights.
For larger numbers, and for the longer annual inspections, switching
the main power off is recommended. If you have trouble locating the
switches/buttons, contact your electrician,
or supplier of the lighting system.
Alternatively, some systems have automatic
testing built in. These will conform to the standards required by the
fire code. They will also save you time having to turn off the power
supply or press the buttons manually. The lights should still be
inspected manually though.
Regardless of the method of testing, written
records documenting the inspections must be maintained, and any
faults should be repaired immediately.
