Emergency Lighting

Why Emergency Lighting Is Required

When a fire or electrical fault causes the mains lighting to fail, building occupants must still be able to navigate safely to an exit — even in conditions of smoke or panic. Emergency lighting fulfils this function by switching on automatically the moment mains power is lost, illuminating escape routes, exit signs, and key safety equipment such as fire alarm call points and fire extinguishers.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 explicitly requires the responsible person to ensure that emergency routes and exits are equipped with emergency lighting where occupants could be at risk in the event of mains failure. This applies to all non-domestic premises in England and Wales. BS 5266-1 defines what "adequate" emergency lighting means in practice.

Types of Emergency Lighting

• Escape route lighting — illuminates corridors, stairways, and final exits to a minimum 1 lux on the floor centre line
• Open area (anti-panic) lighting — for large spaces where sudden darkness could cause panic; minimum 0.5 lux at floor level
• High-risk task area lighting — where hazardous processes must be made safe before operators evacuate; minimum 10% of normal task illuminance
• Maintained luminaires — on continuously during normal operation and on battery during mains failure
• Non-maintained luminaires — only illuminate when mains supply fails (the most common type in offices and commercial premises)

Design and Installation Requirements

Emergency lighting must be designed to provide the required illuminance levels on all designated escape routes without placing luminaires more than 2 metres above floor level in narrow corridors. Every exit and emergency exit sign must be illuminated. The system must operate for at least one hour on battery (or three hours in higher-risk premises such as hospitals, cinemas, and sleeping accommodation).

Installation must comply with BS 5266-1 and all wiring must meet the requirements of BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations). On completion, the installing engineer must issue a completion certificate confirming that the system has been designed, installed, and tested to BS 5266-1. This certificate must be retained by the responsible person as part of the fire safety record.

Testing and Maintenance

BS 5266-1 requires a structured testing programme:

• Monthly brief function test — each luminaire is tested for a short period (typically 15 seconds) to verify the battery and lamp are operational; results logged
• Annual full-duration test — each luminaire is tested for its full rated duration (1 or 3 hours) to confirm battery capacity; any luminaire that fails must be replaced before the building is occupied
• Visual inspection — regular checks to confirm luminaires are not obscured, damaged, or missing
• Three-yearly system review — full review of coverage, luminaire positions, and design against current building layout

Any change to building layout — new partitions, changed escape routes, repositioned signage — may require the emergency lighting design to be updated. This should be reviewed as part of any fire risk assessment that follows a building alteration.

BFC Emergency Lighting Training

The British Fire Consortium offers accredited training for emergency lighting installation and maintenance. Completing a recognised qualification in emergency lighting demonstrates competence to the responsible person, enforcement authorities, and insurers.