Emergency lighting saves lives and if it goes wrong it can have terrible consequences. In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, building owners and operators are reviewing not just their compliance, but also best practice. As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of emergency lighting, Coughtrie, has been at the forefront of providing the very best solutions.
Emergency lighting goes unnoticed until it is needed but it has been brought into focus by recent events and is of interest to residents and neighbours.
What are the rules?
The requirements are laid out in BS 5266-1: 2011 to cover most instances except smaller residential houses and can be briefly summarised as:
Lighting that switches on in the event of a mains power-cut to provide a sufficient level of illumination (1lux at floor level of escape route) to enable and guide occupants or users to evacuate a building.
These lights are closely associated with fire escapes but are used in communal areas, especially stairwells, to provide illumination to help users to the exits by reducing tripping risks in the dark.
Additionally, all emergency lights must be tested monthly to comply with BS EN 50172:2004 or BS 5266-8:2004, with a more rigorous annual duration test to ensure the standard 3-hour operation.
What types are there?
There are two broad classes, central power systems and stand-alone.
Central power systems are often used in very large buildings as they can be expensive due to the size of the central power (battery) which generally also requires a specially fitted out room. Additionally, cabling requirements and integrity can increase the cost of installation. However, they can allow for centralised testing which may, in some circumstances, reduce the overall system cost.
Stand-alone emergency lights offer a more robust solution as each luminaire is independent in the event of a system-wide issue and also only requires standard installation.
Coughtrie expertise
Coughtrie has been manufacturing durable, robust luminaires including emergency lighting since 1940. The range includes options for stairwells, wide area coverage and can include stand-alone power providing multiple redundancy emergency lighting with other features dependent on range. Please enquire for details 0141 882 3262.
Coughtrie lifetime
Coughtrie luminaires have been installed in environments as diverse as ferries, offices, underground tunnels, cathedrals and social housing. There are Coughtrie luminaires still in service after 50 years! They are robust (often IK10++) and weatherproof (up to IP65) and with our 50,000 hour LED life deliver an attractive, long-term solution. Additionally, our luminaires are 100% tested before despatch ensuring there is no lost time in your projects due to failure.
For more information call 0141 882 3262