How Essential is Emergency Lighting?
How Essential is Emergency Lighting?
Emergency lighting is essential during the event of a fire. By providing illuminating signage and lighting it allows individuals to avoid obstacles, and clearly see the signs of the fire route and exits; insufficient lighting is almost as bad as no lighting. There have been numerous studies from around the world which have proved that inadequate emergency lighting has had a negative impact on evacuating the premises. The studies observed poor lighting resulted in hesitant movement around furniture, reversal in directions, confusion, panic which resulted in delayed evacuation time, it also had the potential to increase the likelihood of injuries and potentially cost lives.
As soon as the fire has been recognised is the most optimal time to evacuate the premises before the smoke becomes thicker and hard to see through the lighting. In ‘The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005’ it states, “emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting.”. After installation it is important to keep the emergency lighting regularly maintained. The Fire Industry Association say a minimum of three-hour duration should be used for emergency escape lighting if the premises is not evacuated immediately such as hostels or student accommodation in the BS 5266.
Emergency lighting has proven to have helped the evacuation process of properties; if you are interested in hearing how OmniZone could help you keep your property up to fire safety standards then contact us on 0345 646 0122.