Leading the way on emergency lighting

By Kate Jackson, Industry Reporter

In an emergency, the speedy evacuation your staff and guests can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Any loss of mains electricity, perhaps the result of a fire or flood, can plunge buildings into sudden darkness and put occupants in danger of physical injury and panic.

Emergency lighting, whether it is programmed to kick in when the main power supply cuts or is on permanently, is vital for crowd control in providing directional cues and helping evacuees avoid hazards as they negotiate stairwells, hallways and external grounds.

AS/NZS 2293 is the latest standard covering emergency lighting in buildings. This joint benchmark, approved by the Council of Standards Australia and by the New Zealand Standards Approval Board, involves three parts:

AS/NZS 2293.1 governing system design, installation and operation

AS/NZS 2293.2 governing inspection and maintenance

AS.NZS 2293.3 governing emergency luminaries and exit signs

Together, they outline what is required by accom operators “to ensure an acceptable level of illumination for the safe evacuation of occupants from those spaces in an emergency situation”.

Stipulations include that all exit and emergency lights must be tested every six months to ensure they run for 90 minutes on battery after a simulated a loss of power. The results of the duration test, listing any defects, non-conformances, and maintenance history, must be logged manually or digitally.

Testing, testing, testing

There are three main ways to test and monitor emergency lighting systems. A manually tested system has exit and emergency lights wired to a test timer. A testing contractor, required to be someone with suitable qualifications such as a licenced engineer, will inspect the site and check fittings for any visible defects before activating that timer. They will then cut power to the emergency lighting (without affecting normal lights) and after 90 minutes, each fitting is inspected again to see if it is still running.

There are also automatic selftesting emergency lights with an in-built timer that automatically puts them into duration test mode every 6 months. Following the test each fitting will display a pass/fail result on the LED status indicator. A qualified tester need only then do one walk around to view and record a test result. Computer monitored systems are the Rolls Royce alternative used by larger businesses to run the testing and maintenance of their emergency lighting. They speed up and simplify the process, eliminating

the need for a tester. They are run via an onsite or remote server which conducts automatic testing, relaying information from emergency fittings directly back to management software. Some also offer live status data on individual fittings for more detailed system monitoring.

Industry viewpoint

James Oloi, national business development and project manager for Legrand New Zealand, told us: “In my view, the most accurate way of testing is the computer monitoring system. This is where a computer can run the test with the use of a PC and then each emergency fitting will report on the functions of the battery, lamp etc, the PC will produce a report and the failures are identified. Some systems will provide component part numbers within the system so the maintenance contractor can pre-order before attending site to fix the failures. This saves the owner or tenant the site visit and travel costs.

“With quality systems, the ease of reporting and testing is a major plus. Also, there is no need for contractors to be in the building to carry out testing as it may be an inconvenience for accommodation providers and their guests.”

What works for me?

Emergency lights for commercial properties are either nonmaintained, which means they only come on when the power supply to the normal lighting fails, or maintained, which means they are illuminated 24/7.

Suppliers will offer a risk assessment to help identify what works best and where for your accom and provide informed advice on whether your emergency lights should work standalone or as part of a networked system.

Exit lights all feature the same green with white detailing and symbols readily associated with an exit sign, while satellites and emergency luminaires come in a vast range of shapes and sizes.

All can be fitted with weatherproof covers if required. Features such as mounting, accessibility, and whether the light is single or double sided are all considerations, with a unique set of circumstances presented by each property.

Latest lithium-powered LED versions are the go-to for most manufacturers, offering increased longevity, reduced maintenance, lower energy consumption and extended warranty periods.