Auditing of Emergency Lighting Systems

Responsible persons and premises management are required to demonstrate that emergency lighting is appropriate to protect occupants. In general, new buildings are well provided for, however existing premises often are absent of any current and valid documentation in order that the Responsible Person and premises management can validate that the system(s) installed are appropriate to protect occupants.

It is therefore recommended that any existing system that cannot be validated as appropriate to protect occupants should be verified for compliance with British Standards by a competent person(s).

Typical reasons for the need for an existing system to be verified for compliance include:

1. The use of the building might have changed, for example, equipment that was satisfactory for the building at the point of system installation may not be adequate for the premises in its current use and as such the original documentation would not be relevant.
2. Small buildings that previously did not require a fire certificate might now need to be assessed as safe for the building occupants.
3. Equipment ages and might no longer perform as well as it needs to. Correct design builds in reasonable degradation factors but these may be exceeded.
4. With improved knowledge and understanding of risks, safety standards have improved. Emergency lighting levels now highlight specific hazard areas, and equipment requirements take advantage of improved products such as LED luminaires, fluorescent luminaires, and the use of fire-resistant cables.
5. The original documentation might never have been provided or could have become lost.

As part of our verification process, we will include making isolations to lighting circuits to facilitate the following:

• Verification of light levels by use of a calibrated light meter.
• Verification that all non-maintained luminaires operate on local final circuit failure.
• Verification that luminaires operate for the specified duration.

We will also produce retrospective as installed drawings of the emergency lighting system and mark on the drawing all relevant points of emphasis including:

• First aid points
• Fire-fighting equipment and call points
• Escape equipment for disabled people
• Refuges and call points, including two-way communication systems and disabled toilet alarm call positions
• Manual release controls provided to release electronically locked doors as recommended in BS7273-4.

With an ability to verify emergency lighting systems for newly constructed premises or for emergency lighting system replacements or upgrades you can Rely on Fire Check to ensure that your escape routes and critical points of emphasis are adequately illuminated in the event of local lighting failure and that your emergency lighting records are comprehensive and suitable for evidence of compliance as needed.

All systems are verified and fully certificated in strict accordance with British Standards with the following standards and codes of practice being technically assessed and within the scope of our certification:

• BS 5266-1 – Emergency lighting for premises
• BS 5499-4 – Escape route signing