Emergency lighting is a safety feature that automatically turns on when the power goes out, helping people safely exit buildings during emergencies until normal power is resumed.
This lighting is designed to illuminate escape routes creating clear visibility, and allowing occupants to locate and exit the premises and find appropriate firefighting equipment in the event of an emergency.
A combination of different lighting types is usually required in most buildings – a risk assessment can identify the areas and locations which require various types of lighting installations. In the UK and EU, it’s required by law in places like hotels, schools, hospitals, offices, and more.
Having emergency lighting not only helps guide people to safety but also reduces panic, assists emergency services, and supports safe shutdown procedures.
We’ve put together this guide to offer practical guidance and advice for anyone undertaking work on emergency lighting solutions.
“Any building that welcomes public visitors not only requires emergency lighting for safe evacuation during emergencies or power outages but more importantly, it’s essential that these systems are fully operational. This is a legal requirement. The system must undergo an annual 3-hour discharge test to ensure that the lights activate and last for the required duration.
Documentation of this testing is crucial as part of a health and safety regime. Unfortunately, this is often neglected due to reasons like staff turnover, a lack of legal awareness, poor safety practices, or a misunderstanding of the system’s purpose.”
Adam Lewis, Powerguard Managing Director
The Guidelines
Emergency lighting guidelines in the UK are designed to ensure that buildings are safely evacuated in the event of an emergency, such as a fire or power outage. To be compliant, sufficient emergency lighting must be installed to illuminate escape routes, exits, and key areas like corridors and stairwells.
This includes placing emergency exit lights above doors and providing clear signage that directs occupants to safety.
UK law mandates that emergency lighting systems undergo regular testing, and failure to comply can result in severe legal consequences, including prosecution, especially if non-compliance leads to injury or death
Emergency lighting systems should have the following British Standards:
- BS 5266-1:2011 – This standard provides detailed guidance on the design, installation, testing, and maintenance of emergency lighting systems across a wide range of buildings, from workplaces to residential areas.
- BS EN 1838:1999 (also numbered as BS 5266-7:1999) The British Standard EN1838 – specifies that local area safety lighting must last for a minimum of one hour, and the escape route lighting from the area of safety to the final exit should have a duration equal to or longer than the local area safety lighting. Additionally, the updated prEN1838 now permits the use of Adaptive Emergency Escape Lighting Systems (AEELS) across all types of buildings.
- BS EN 50172:2004 (also numbered as BS 5266-8:2004) – BS EN 50172:2004 outlines the minimum requirements for illuminating escape routes and safety signs, along with the testing protocols for emergency lighting systems in various premises. The recent updates in 2024 to EN 50172 focus on inspection and testing procedures. Beyond the standard daily, monthly, and annual tests, a bi-annual check of emergency luminaires and externally illuminated safety signs is now required.
This test ensures that the lighting is free from damage and that its functionality is not compromised by dirt, dust, or visible material degradation.
Emergency lighting, as we’ve already mentioned, is covered by several pieces of legislation and regulation, the most important of these include:
- Regulatory Reform Order 2005
- Signs Directive (90/664) Implemented by Statutory Instrument 341
- Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
You must ensure that you’re aware of these legislative documents and regulations before any emergency lighting work begins. These laws dictate that those undertaking work within any of these areas may well be required to demonstrate their competence, with the following regulations:
- Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 – covers competence regarding regulation 16, which requires anyone working on electrical systems to have technical experience or knowledge.
- Regulatory Reform Order 2005 – Order 2005 covers the issue of competence in regard to understanding minimal fire safety requirements in all non-domestic premises.
This video gives a clear explanation:
Types of Emergency Lights
Although often placed under the umbrella term of emergency lighting, there are many different types of emergency lighting installations, many of which have varying objectives, such as:
Emergency Lighting
It’s an essential part of a building’s fire safety measures, as required by The Regulatory Reform Order of 2005. Emergency escape lighting is divided into three categories:
- Escape Route Lighting: This ensures that escape routes are well-lit, using emergency lights like bulkheads and illuminated fire exit signs.
- Open Area Lighting: Provides enough light for occupants to reach an area where they can identify the escape route.
- High-Risk Task Area Lighting: Offers focused lighting for areas where potentially dangerous tasks occur, ensuring safe shutdown of machinery and protection for operators and others on the premises.
Anti-Panic or Open-Lighting
- Designed to prevent panic in large open spaces by providing sufficient light to guide people to the nearest exit. It’s crucial in places like shopping centres and museums, where visitors unfamiliar with the layout may panic during emergencies.
Standby Lighting
- Provides lighting for normal activities to continue during a power failure.
Who is the Person Responsible for Emergency Lighting?
As per the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, a responsible person is required to undertake a risk assessment to identify any threat to people who’ve entered a premises; that person is then required to roll out processes on the back of this to ensure the safeguarding of building occupants.
A “responsible person” is considered competent when they have the necessary training and experience to implement effective fire safety measures. In the UK, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 designates the responsible person as the individual accountable for ensuring adequate emergency lighting in non-domestic buildings.
This is usually the employer, building owner, or manager who has control over the premises.
In addition to the Fire Safety Order, other regulations such as the Building Regulations, BS 5266-1:2016, and health and safety laws may also apply. Consulting with a qualified electrician or fire safety professional is recommended to ensure full compliance with these requirements.
Emergency Lighting Design
At the outset of any emergency lighting project, up-to-date premises information must be obtained from drawings, site surveys or the site’s responsible person.
A typical list of actions that must take place during the emergency lighting design process is as follows:
- Examination of risks already highlighted.
- Duration of the emergency lighting after normal mains have failed.
- Identification of emergency escape routes, that take into account the potential hazards.
- Identification of fire alarm call points, firefighting apparatus and fire safety signs.
- Deciding on the most appropriate emergency lighting solutions.
- How each lighting section will be isolated for testing and maintenance purposes.
- Identification of any high-risk areas.
- Identification of floor areas larger than 60m2.
- Deciding on whether external illumination is required for final exit doors.
These points are absolutely crucial to decide upon, so the lighting design can be engineered in accordance with EN 1838 (BS 5266-7).
All plans and layout drawings should highlight all existing or suggested escape routes, fire alarm activation points and firefighting equipment, such as fire extinguishers.
This step should be completed at the very beginning of the project and should include all interested parties, from the owner, developer and the occupiers of the premises, to the lighting engineers, installation contractors and the building control and fire authorities.
Emergency Lighting Requirements by Sector
The battery backup that activates once the mains power disconnects will depend entirely on what the building is used for and the strategy for evacuation.
Emergency lighting must be capable of offering continuous power for three hours in entertainment venues, such as theatres and cinemas and premises with sleeping risk, such as hotels and B&Bs.
Blocks of flats also require a three-hour duration; this is because although the occupants would be well aware of their surroundings in the event of an emergency, enough time is required to ensure the authorities can ensure optical premises that require a 3-hour duration are:
Premises with Sleeping Accommodation –
- Hospitals
- Guest Houses
- Care Homes
- Boarding Schools
- Clubs
- Colleges
- University Halls
Non-Residential Premises Used for Treatment or Care –
- Special Schools
- Clinics
- Dentists
Non-Residential Recreational Premises –
- Theatres
- Cinemas
- Concert Halls
- Exhibition Halls
- Sports Halls
- Pubs
- Clubs
Non-Residential Public Premises –
- Town Halls
- Libraries
- Shopping Centres
- Shops
- Art Galleries
- Museums
- Aquariums
One-hour duration is acceptable in premises that can be evacuated immediately, and re-entry is delayed until the battery system has fully recharged.
Typical premises that require a one-hour duration are usually non-residential premises used for teaching, training and research, and office spaces, which include:
- Schools
- Colleges
- Technical Institutions
- Laboratories
- Nurseries
- Universities
- Places of Work
If a premise is used for more than one purpose, such as an educational institution with a theatre, for example, the longer duration will apply to the entirety of the premises.
The building’s fire risk assessment should outline what kind of backup battery system is required for each emergency lighting system.
What are the Different Types of Emergency Lighting?
Emergency lighting systems are categorised into three main types: maintained, non-maintained, and combined.
Maintained emergency lighting: Should be used in public spaces where standard lighting may be dimmed during an emergency and in common areas where a build-up of smoke could dramatically reduce the effect of normal light.
Exit signs are also required to be illuminated and visible whenever the premises are occupied, which means maintained exit signs are necessary for licensed and entertainment venues. This is because those entering the premises will be mostly unfamiliar with the layout of the building.
Non-Maintained Emergency Lighting: This system is activated solely during a power outage. Under normal conditions, the lights remain off, with the battery being charged by the main power. A small LED indicator, usually green, shows the system’s readiness.
This type of lighting is primarily used for exit signs and must be tested regularly to ensure functionality, as it does not operate under normal circumstances.
Combined Emergency Lighting: This system integrates both maintained and non-maintained lighting into one setup. It typically includes multiple lights: one connected to the emergency power supply and the other to the mains. This combination allows for flexibility, enabling emergency lights and exit signs to coexist within a single, cohesive system.
Emergency Lighting Illumination
Vision will vary depending on the individual, both in the amount of light needed to make out an object clearly and the time it takes to acclimatise to changes in the light levels.
The level of illuminance needed depends largely on the function of the space. It’s essential to also bear in mind that the stimulus for vision is not the light which falls onto an object, but rather the light that is reflected into our eyes.
Different objects can be distinguished by contrast, which alters the light that is reflected back into our eyes. For example, a light-coloured object against a dark background is far easier to make out than a dark object against a dark background.
The light falling onto an object is impacted not only by the power and positioning of the emergency lighting but also by the reflection around it. In a good deal of interior spaces, a high frequency of the light falling onto a surface is reflected light. For instance, when the walls, ceiling and floor are light in colour up to 60% of the light we use to make out our surroundings may be reflected from the walls and ceiling.
In an indoor area that is decorated in dark colours, the reflected light is obviously severely reduced. This is usually the case in restaurants and clubs, where the décor is a very deliberate design choice to create an atmosphere.
This is why all potential obstructions along an escape route should be light in colour, with contrasting surroundings. An excellent example of this is the steps in a cinema, which have lighting strips fitted to the edges of each step and are usually contrasting with a burgundy or black carpet.
At Powerguard, we are committed to working closely with you to ensure that you’re receiving the most efficient, cost-effective emergency lighting that is fit for purpose.
How Often Should Emergency Lighting Be Tested?
Emergency lighting testing is categorised into three key intervals:
- Daily: This involves a visual inspection of the central power supply indicators to ensure the system is operational. This applies specifically to systems powered by a central battery.
- Monthly: According to BS 5266-8 / BS EN 50172 standards, all emergency lighting systems must be tested at least once a month. This test includes verifying that all emergency signage and luminaires are illuminated, present, and clean. Typically, this involves a brief ‘flick’ test to confirm that the emergency lighting switches are functional.
- Annually: An annual test assesses whether the emergency lights remain operational for the duration specified by British Standards. After this test, any lights that do not function correctly must be replaced to ensure compliance and safety.
If you have questions about emergency lighting or fire safety or you are interested in any of our other solutions, please get in contact with us today.