Emergency lighting is a critical part of fire safety practice in commercial and industrial buildings. When normal power fails, it provides occupants with the illumination and guidance they need to evacuate safely. Beyond its life-saving function, emergency lighting is also a legal requirement for most commercial premises in the UK.
The primary reason for having emergency lighting is that it can save lives. In an emergency where power and normal lighting have been lost, it illuminates escape routes and exit points, helping to prevent panic and guide occupants to safety in an orderly manner.
There is also a compelling legal reason: emergency lighting is required by law for the vast majority of commercial premises. Failing to provide it, or allowing it to fall into disrepair, exposes both occupants and responsible persons to serious risk.
The main regulations for emergency lighting can be found in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Building Regulations 2006, the Workplace Directive, British Standard BS 5266, and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
These regulations apply to all commercial premises and sectors in the UK, including shops, offices, factories, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, warehouses, and schools. They also extend to certain residential settings, such as Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and common areas in properties containing at least two private residential dwellings.
There are four typical types of emergency lighting that can be installed, either individually or combined into a system :
Ensures that the quickest, safest routes to an exit are illuminated for building occupants.
Reduces panic by providing more general illumination, allowing people to move calmly and exit the building.
Depending on how a building is used and the people within it, standby lighting may or may not be a legal requirement. It allows normal activity to continue during a power outage.
Provides illumination in areas where dangerous situations could occur, such as around heavy machinery, enabling the safe shutdown of operations.
The precise location of your emergency lighting will be dictated by your fire risk assessment. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Part 2, Article 14.2(h) states that emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting.
In practice, this can include all exit doors, any changes in direction on an escape route, trip hazards such as stairs and lifts, illuminated fire exit signs, firefighting equipment and alarms, large publicly accessible areas of 60m² or more, windowless rooms, toilets greater than 8m² and first aid equipment.
BS 5266-1 falls under Building Regulations and is a legal requirement in the UK. It provides detailed guidance on all aspects of emergency lighting, covering everything from design and installation to minimum duration, testing and maintenance, and the minimum luminosity required in different areas.
The old NM/M classification system has been replaced by a letter-number-letter-number system based on the following categories :
• X = self-contained
• Y = central battery
• 0 = non-maintained
• 1 = maintained
• 2 = combined non-maintained
• 3 = combined maintained
• 4 = compound non-maintained
• 5 = compound maintained
• 6 = satellite
• A = includes test device
• B = includes remote test device
• C = includes inhibiting mode
• D = suitable for high risk task areas
• 10 minutes
• 60 minutes
• 120 minutes
• 180 minutes
A certificate for your emergency lighting is a requirement under BS EN 50172:2004, 6.2, and needs to be renewed every year. You are also required to carry out regular testing of your emergency lighting, with daily, monthly and annual tests specified for different elements of your system.
Basic daily testing, which applies to systems with a central battery, consists of a visual check to ensure the system is operational. BS EN 50172 / BS 5266-8 specifies that monthly short-duration checks must be carried out to verify the system is working, while an annual check should confirm the system will function for the full duration recommended by the British Standard.
These tests can be carried out by a competent person within your organisation, that is, someone who has the experience and knowledge to perform the task to an acceptable standard. However, your equipment can only be certified by a third-party certificated or BAFE-registered operator.
Get in touch with our team to secure your emergency lighting compliance and protect your building.
