Does your Business Need Emergency Lighting?
In the event of an emergency, your business needs to have a number of procedures in place to ensure the safety of you, your customers and your staff. The European Workplace directive states that ‘emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in case the lighting fails’.
If your workplace is plunged into darkness without warning, it can create a number of risks and dangers for the people affected. Having emergency lighting will eliminate these risks, ensuring that even if there is an emergency, you won’t have to inch your way through darkness.
It is a statutory requirement, as part of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, that all businesses must have emergency lighting. This is to allow the safe and efficient evacuation of all people on the premises in the event of an emergency.
Why does my business need emergency lighting?
As well as being a vital part of any safety plan, having emergency lighting in your premises is also a legal requirement. The BS 5266 Emergency Lighting, the code of practice for emergency lighting states:
‘Every workplace shall have suitable and sufficient emergency lighting and that suitable and sufficient emergency lighting shall be provided and maintained in any room in which persons at work are specifically exposed to danger in the event of failure of artificial lighting.’
The right emergency lighting system will ensure the safety and peace of mind of your personnel (and possibly customers) in the event of any sudden loss of power. Trying to lead people out of a building in darkness can be very difficult and dangerous, so with an emergency lighting system, your evacuation path will be fully lit and easy to navigate.
Different Types of Emergency Lighting:
There are varying emergency lighting systems available, all of which cater to different types of emergencies in different types of premises. It is important you establish which system is right for your business before you have it installed.
Escape Route Lighting:
Designed to illuminate planned evacuation routes in the event of a fire or any emergency where the premises need to be evacuated quickly.
High Risk Task Area Lighting:
This lighting is essential for areas that have systems, machines or processes that need to be monitored. These emergency lighting systems will be tailored to the specifications of the environment.
Open Area (Anti-Panic Lighting):
For large, open spaces affected by these types of emergencies, this lighting is needed to keep order among the people in the premises, and prevent any delays or risks created by panicking by clearly illuminating the evacuation paths and surrounding areas.
At City Fire we offer expert emergency lighting installation and service. Whether your premises are big or small, we endeavour to install emergency lighting systems that give you peace of mind and safety in the event of an emergency. We cater for businesses of all sizes, from large office complexes to small kitchen premises. We have a range of emergency lighting to suit your specific requirements, and all our staff are fully trained, insured and accredited. Our service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so whenever you need our emergency lighting services, we’ll be on hand to assist you. If you’d like to know more about emergency lighting, or would like to discuss fitting a system in your premises, get in touch today! Simply call us, send us an email or use the contact form on our website, and we’ll be happy to help.
