What emergency lighting does a building need

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  • Author Kathryn Dawson
  • Published November 17, 2010
  • Word count 614

Commercial buildings must follow strict building codes and regulations when it comes to emergency lighting. If there is a sudden power shortage in a commercial building, then lights must come on to light the path and light the exits of the building. Imagine if a building was plunged into total darkness, the effect would be catastrophic as people struggled to see where they were going. In the event of an emergency this would be extremely dangerous indeed. Every commercial building needs exit lighting and other types of emergency lighting so that in the event of a fire, power cut or other emergency, everyone can find their way to an exit and leave the building safely. There are a few types of emergency light that are needed and this article discusses them. If you need to know about emergency lighting in a building then this article is for you.

Exit lights are extremely important throughout a commercial building. Exit lights are those above the exit doors that are lit up in the event of a power cut. They are clear signposts to anyone that there is a fire door or emergency exit situated here. As well as exit lights and signs however, emergency lighting is needed throughout the building. Hallways and stairwells in particular need good lighting as these will be where people will be filing through. Staircases can be very difficult to navigate when there are many people heading down together so extra special attention needs to be given to these parts of the building. Testing of emergency lights needs to be carried out regularly in any building. Ideally every 3 months the lights throughout the building should be checked, but especially the exit lights and the lights in the stairwells.

All emergency lights need to comply with strict regulations so as to ensure they are the right brightness and work in the correct way. In order to guarantee you have bought the right type of lights you should use only a reputable seller. They will also be able to advise you on the codes you need to follow. Generally speaking it is most sensible to purchase extremely bright emergency lights. Although these use up more electricity, in an emergency situation you will be grateful of lights acting as beacons. The way the lights look is secondary of course to their safety, but it is also important that they blend into the decor as well as possible. This is especially important in art galleries and museums where style and elegance is important. With this in mind, you may want to choose lights to match the background wall on which they sit. If the wall is white for example, choose a light that is housed in a white outer layer.

Aside from exit lights, stair well lights and lights in the hallway, there need to be some lights in the rooms themselves. This is where the majority of people will be situated in the event of a power cut or emergency when the lights would automatically come on. People need to be able to make it outside as quickly as possible so lighting their path from desk to door to hallway to stairwell to exit door is crucial from start to finish.

Emergency lighting is crucial in any commercial building. It is more important than security lights even. If there is a power cut then people need to be able to make their way outside as quickly and safely as possible which can only be done with good emergency lighting. It is possible to purchase trade lighting or wholesale lighting if you are looking for a good price by searching online to see what is available.

Kathryn Dawson writes on trade lighting supplier in the UK providing a range of security lights.

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