When there’s an emergency in the workplace, workers need to get out quickly. Unfortunately, some types of emergencies may involve power failures and a loss of interior and exterior illumination; or, the building may fill with smoke, obscuring ordinary illumination. In either case, emergency lighting is critical to your workers.
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Will your emergency lighting show workers the way when all other lights have gone out?
Emergency Lighting Basics
The OSHA regulation governing emergency exit lighting is found in 29 CFR 1937(b)(1). OSHA requires that exit routes by adequately lighted in an emergency. Specifically, each exit route must be lit so that an employee with normal vision can see along the exit route.
As sometimes happens, OSHA’s regulations are very spare, leaving a lot to the employer. Here are some additional things you should address when you’re planning, installing, or inspecting your emergency lighting. Some of these are adapted from National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101, the Life Safety Code.
- All emergency exit lighting should be inspected monthly for at least 30 seconds, according to NFPA 101. Once a year, battery-powered emergency lighting should be tested for 1.5 hours. Separate inspection requirements apply to generators used to power emergency lighting; generators must comply with NFPA 110, Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems.
- Emergency lighting should automatically come on when normal lighting fails. If it needs to switch to another power source—either battery power or generator power—it should do so within 10 seconds after building power is lost.
- Emergency exit lighting should illuminate the entire exit route.
- The light levels provided should be measured at the floor, since workers escaping from a building that is filling with smoke may need to escape by crawling or keeping very low to the floor. NFPA 101 specifies that illumination along the egress path should not average less than 1.0 foot-candles (fc, or 10.8 lux) at standing eye level and should never be less than 0.1 fc (1.1 lux) at the floor.
- Emergency exit signs should be no more than 100 feet apart, and building occupants must be able to see them all directions from the exit access.
- Battery-powered emergency lighting should remain illuminated for at least 1.5 hours.
- Emergency exit lighting may not be the only type of emergency lighting you need. Consider whether you also need:
- Emergency area lighting. This type of emergency lighting illuminates open areas so that workers can easily find their way to the nearest emergency exit.
- High-risk area task lighting. Rather than being designed to guide workers in escaping, this type of task lighting illuminates processes that need to be safely shut down before the operator can evacuate.
Need more help to illuminate your emergency safety preparations? You’ll find enlightenment at Safety.BLR.com.