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he installation of emergency lighting and signage needs to be provided within many types of buildings, as this allows for employees and visitors to safely evacuate the building to a place of safety in the case of an emergency.

The signage should be installed so that there is no ambiguity as to the direction required to safely escape from the building.

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There is, the Adler Exit Sign, from Ansell Lighting is that one for all solution, in offering five different mounting options of suspended, recessed, surface, wall surface and side arm wall mounting, as well as 2-part legends allowing the option of multiple directions from just one legend kit.

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According to BS EN 50172:2004, the purpose in the provision of emergency escape lighting is to ensure that lighting is provided both promptly and automatically and for a suitable duration of time, upon the failure of the power supply to the normal lighting.

With regard to routine inspections and tests, BS 5266-1:2016 states that the emergency lighting systems should be inspected and tested at regular intervals in accordance with BS EN 50172 and where a functional operation should be checked at least every month. The testing of full rated duration should be performed on each emergency luminaire at least annually.

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Emergency lighting is provided for use when the power supply to the normal lighting fails and therefore must be powered from a source independent of that supplying the normal mains lighting.

It is a mandatory requirement to allow the occupants the opportunity to escape safety in the event of an emergency

There are a number of documents published for emergency lighting:

BS 5266-1:2016 – Emergency lighting - Part 1: Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises

BS EN 1838:2013 – Lighting Application – Emergency Lighting

BS EN 50172:2004 (BS 5266-8:2004) – Emergency escape lighting systems

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The term ‘battery’ is used to describe a chemical device two or more cells which has the ability to store chemical energy and is converted into Direct Current. Whilst everyone calls this a ‘battery’, its correct term is in fact a ‘cell’.

There are basically two different types of batteries, a Primary Battery, which is not rechargeable and a Secondary Battery, which is rechargeable.

The types of rechargeable cells used for emergency lighting are:

NICKEL CADMIUM = Ni-Cd (Ni-Cad)

NICKEL METAL HYDRIDE = Ni-MH

LITHIUM ION – Li-Ion

LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE – LiFePO4

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Firstly, the procedure for the testing of the emergency lighting equipment installed within buildings is a mandatory requirement to allow the occupants the opportunity to escape safety in the event of an emergency.

The following minimum inspections and tests shall be carried out at the intervals recommended to and the regulating authority may require specific tests.

Daily – Indicators shall be visually inspected for correct operation.

Monthly – Short duration tests by switching on, in the emergency mode, each luminaire and each internally illuminated exit sign from its battery

Annually – Full rated duration test in accordance with the manufacturer's information.

A Self-Test system is basically an intelligent emergency system, which is integral to each luminaire, and which conducts routine functional and duration testing in-line with the relevant standards, providing great benefits to the end user client in that previously conventional techniques used for the testing procedure were reliant upon the manual process, where the automated system offers full compliance, without the need for the outdated manual process.

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These fittings utilise an accurate internal clock which is programmed to interrupt the permanent mains supply at set intervals, thus initiating emergency lighting tests. These units are supplied pre-programmed to initiate short duration tests once every month, a one third duration test after six months and a full duration test once every 12 months.

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he requirements for emergency lighting are given in a number of standards, namely BS 5266-1:2016, BE EN 1838:2013 and BS EN 50172:2004 and where the Ansell Wolf provides the ideal solution in being a modern, robust die-cast aluminium low glare wall pack fitting, suitable for both commercial and industrial applications.

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The standard states that the emergency lighting scheme design should be based upon worst conditions with minimum light output and maximum glare limits of luminaires during operating life and based only on direct light from luminaires.

The standard states in relating to emergency escape lighting system design, in which the provision of a highly reliable emergency escape lighting is essential and the illumination provided by the emergency escape lighting system of a compartment of the escape route shall be from two or more luminaires, so that the failure of one luminaire does not plunge the route into total darkness or make the directional finding effect of the system ineffective.

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It is essential that battery packs within all emergency luminaires are replaced after a four-year period.  All emergency luminaires must be tested in accordance with BS EN 5266-8-2004.  Increased frequency of emergency testing may result in the premature replacement of battery pack, before the standard four-year period.  Batteries are supplied with a 2 years warranty only.