Getting The Emergency Lighting Certificate
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Professional emergency lighting testing and inspection.
Do you need an emergency lighting certificate for your property? Obtain your emergency lighting certificates from London Landlord Certifications. A group of technicians is here to carry out emergency light testing and provide emergency lights certification to landlords, homeowners, offices, public buildings, pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and hotels. Call London Landlord Certifications and fulfil your requirements.
You may be required by UK law to have an emergency lighting test certificate for your house. In fact, London Landlord Certifications may instal new emergency lights and carry out routine emergency lighting testing. Contact now for your emergency lighting certificates.
What is an emergency lighting certificate?
An emergency lighting certificate is a record issued by a qualified engineer, and it indicates that emergency lighting is working as it should be when the main power supply is cut.
How to get the emergency lighting certificate?
To get an emergency lighting certificate, you would need to hire a qualified electrician who can carry out the test and inspection. You will get the emergency lights certifications after completing the assessment. Most importantly, you can hire London Landlord Certifications for your emergency lighting certificates.
What is emergency lighting?
An emergency light is not the same as a normal light. These lights include a battery back and only operate when the main power is turned off. If the main power supply is cut during an emergency, the emergency lighting is used to prevent any health and safety issues. Automatic emergency lighting provides illumination to enable all occupants to evacuate the premises safely.
How are emergency lighting systems powered?
Powering emergency lighting systems can be done in two ways:
- The power source that is self-contained or only has one point of power.
- The central battery source.
Why do I need an emergency lighting certificate?
For landlords: HMO properties are required by law to have emergency lights, and landlords must ensure that these emergency lights are in good working order.
Emergency lighting is typically used to assist people in escaping a building in the case of a fire or other emergency; however, it may also be used to disable safety equipment. Emergency lights are required in all office buildings, apartment blocks, and other structures where the loss of standard lighting will make escape difficult. Any building owner should obtain an emergency lighting certificate.
Where can I install emergency lighting?
Lighting and signage should be placed in such a way that escape routes and exits from the premises are clearly illuminated. Emergency lights need very little maintenance and are relatively simple to install. For improved visibility, these lights may be mounted on the wall, in a recess, or on the ceiling. Though the lights have a long working life, they can be recharged once and used for several hours at a time.
Businesses must also ensure that trouble areas are appropriately illuminated.
This may include the following:
- Stairwells
- Toilet areas (greater than 8m2)
- Places where the floor level changes
- Changes in the direction of the exit route
- Intersections in corridors
Why do I need to use emergency lighting?
Lighting and signage should be placed in such a way that escape routes and exits from the premises are clearly illuminated. In the event of a power outage, the lights should be kept on for one to three hours. This is to ensure that all building occupants can safely make their way to the exit and that emergency personnel can safely enter the building if necessary.
The lights can then be recharged once the building’s electricity has been restored.
What are the different types of emergency lights?
There are four different types. These include:
- Escape route lighting.
- Open area emergency lighting.
- High-risk task area lighting.
- Standby lighting.
Where is emergency escape lighting necessary?
An emergency escape lighting system should usually cover the following, according to the HM Government publication :
- Each exit door.
- Routes of Exit.
- Corridor intersections.
- On external escape routes and outside each final exit.
- Signs indicating an emergency exit.
- Stairways so that each flight gets enough light.
- Changes in the floor level.
- Rooms with no windows and toilets that are larger than 8m2 Firefighting facilities.
- Call points for fire alarms.
- Equipment that will have to be turned off in the event of an emergency.
- Lifts.
- Areas of buildings larger than 60m2.
- Individual lights (luminaires) are not required for each of the items mentioned above, but there should be enough overall light to make them visible and accessible.
What are emergency lighting luminaires?
Self-contained and centrally supplied luminaires are the two main styles, with BS EN 60598-2-22 as the relevant standard.
What are the illuminated signs?
Emergency luminaires may also be used as signs; for example, through an open doorway with a directional mark or a pictogram of a man running through are common examples. Others may have text on them, such as ‘Fire Exit.’
Can I only install Illuminated signs?
The photoluminescent and self-illuminating signage do not count against a premises’ emergency lighting requirements and must also have a regular luminaire mounted near them as though they are much like plain plastic signs.
How long does emergency lighting need to stay on for?
On-premises where you cannot leave immediately, such as hotels, emergency lighting must be turned on for a minimum of three hours. When you can easily leave the premises and don’t need to re-occupy the premises, the minimum illumination drops to one hour.
How often is it tested?
Typical testing will involve the following:
Daily: If a centrally powered system with slave luminaires is mounted, a daily visual check of any central controls is required;
Monthly: A monthly functional test is carried out by operating the test facility for a sufficient period to ensure that each emergency light is lit.
Yearly: A full discharge test is performed once a year to ensure that the lamps are lit for the full discharge time (usually 3 hours) and that the batteries are recharging.
Why do I need to test emergency lighting?
It is critical to maintaining the emergency lighting units to ensure that the lighting is operational and that the backup battery will last the maximum time required by the standards. A company or organization’s “responsible person” ensures that routine inspections are performed and recorded in a fire safety logbook.