Four Things You Need To Know About Emergency Lighting
Among of the most essential—yet sometimes neglected—components of a building's life safety programme are emergency lights and exit signage. When the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) issues fines for non-compliant emergency lights, the maximum fine for a first offence is $7,000 and the maximum fine for a second offence is $70,000. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and OSHA standards require emergency lighting systems to be in compliance with four important factors, according to Cintas Corporation, a provider of fire protection and life safety services.
Emergency lights, like fire extinguishers, sometimes go unnoticed until they are required, according to Jamie Samide, senior director of marketing at Cintas. Failure to maintain emergency lights in your building puts you at the danger of fines, harm to students and employees, and subsequent legal action.
Here are four suggestions to guarantee a secure escape in an emergency:
- Make sure that all escape routes are appropriately illuminated. There are three locations that need to be lit such that people with normal eyesight can see them during a power outage. Together with the exit itself, exit access, and exit discharge are included in this (outside of the exit). Within 10 seconds of a power failure, emergency lights should switch on automatically and stay on for at least 1.5 hours. During any construction or building repairs, exit routes must also continue to be clearly visible. To guarantee that people can locate a safe way of exit, emergency lights should be installed in confined spaces such as stairwells, corridors, and lobby areas in addition to the road of egress.
- Provide signage throughout the building – If it is not evident, place signs pointing in the direction of the closest escape. Post a notice identifying their intended usage if there are any entrances or corridors along the departure path that may be mistaken for an exit. The exit must be clearly designated with a sign with the phrase "exit" that is not adorned or obscured from view, according to NFPA 101 Emergency Lighting Rules. Exit signs need to be illuminated by a dependable light source that will continue to be lit in the case of a power loss, just like emergency lights.
- Maintain emergency lighting and exit signs properly to avoid the danger of penalties, accidents, and legal action. Guarantee routine inspections. Monthly battery testing and a fast visual inspection for external physical damage to the emergency lights devices are necessary. Rules require a yearly examination that is more detailed. This involves completing a battery-load test that mimics the unit being lighted on battery backup for 90 minutes, monitoring the "float voltage," which is the constant voltage that is continually delivered to a battery cell, and evaluating the tightness and cleanliness of battery connections. Whenever necessary, bulbs and batteries should also be changed.
- Please, please, please document! Every monthly and yearly inspections should be meticulously documented, and records should be kept in an easily accessible file. Should an event happen, this paperwork will show that the necessary work was done, lowering responsibility. To confirm the task is finished, a qualified fire technician must produce paperwork that includes the unit tested, the date of service, the kind of service conducted, and his or her identity.
Samide stresses the significance of implementing an inspection programme from a reliable service provider to protect your workforce and educational facility.
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