Emergency Lighting - Do's, Don't and Rules.

[SKY]

Hi All

Please can someone outline the general rules with Emergency Lighting?
I have a job to do soon in a factory packing floor where i'm fitting 25 maintained T5 2x80w fittings.

The lighting design has been completed by the guys at Dextra so I have a map of where the fittings are going and the cable runs are all in clip off ceiling channel.

Are there rules on segregation of circuits or anything I need to be aware of without buying the expensive book?

Many Thanks

 

[Englishsparks]

SKY

Are you saying that you don't own a copy of the BGB?

 

[SKY]

I have the BRB and the Red OSG - I was referring to the IEE guidance note. :cool3:

 

[telectrix]

there is a reg. on segregation of safety circuits, but IMO this does not apply to EMs as you are using the same supply as the lighting, same rated cable, same voltage, so same cable routing.

 

[Sintra]

Think you need BS 5266

 

[Adam W]

If you already have a plan it sounds pretty straightforward to me, just find out if they want the keyswitches to turn all the lights off or just cut the feed to the EMs.

 

[tazz]

Reg is BS5266.
You need to use em switch on each circuit to turn supply feed to em lights, but run seperately feed from the main lighting circuit. There is nothing more anoying and a safety issue as turning off the test switch and all non em lighting turns off.

 

[Adam W]

Not necessarily - it can make testing them much easier if everything else goes off - then you can see what's on after 10 mins or 3 hrs. Depends on what the room is being used for though - you can't always just barge in and turn all the lights off when there are people working in there, or in an internal corridor with no natural light.

 

[tazz]

That was my point Adam, by design most places are going to be enclosed staircases and corridors, I would not be happy on a safety issue turning all the lighting off.

 

[Adam W]

Not necessarily - a lot of staircases and corridors have windows or skylights.
If this job is on a factory packing floor there might not be any staircases or corridors, and you might be able to do the lighting test out of hours.

 

[tazz]

Adam just gone through the BS5266, and as usual, there is both a senario for your post and mine, so there is no right or wrong here
My method is prefered, to prevent loss of lighting within a building
Your method is also ok if it is impractical due to building design or listed buildings, and as you said steps would be needed to test out of hours
Only rules here really are both em and normal lighting from same mcb, and wire in same cable ie pvc.

 

[Robert Turnbull]

And always use the local lighting circuit. So it it's a large area with multiple circuits make sure the circuit you put the fitting on covers the area you are lighting.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

There is nothing more anoying and a safety issue as turning off the test switch and all non em lighting turns off.

To my mind, this is a preferable method for testing.
Not only does it show whther the EM lights are working, but you also get an idea of whether the lux values are sufficient.

 

[telectrix]

i would wire the keyswiyches to only interrupt the supply to the EMs. that way you can leave the normal lighting on or switch it off with either it's own light switches or the MCB/s., whichever way suits the circumstances.

 

[worzol99]

Agree with tel, most big retail outlets now have this system so not to disrupt trade due to extended opening hours.

 

[Micklane]

Use a key switch for the emergency light fittings on their separate circuit only. Check for the indication lamp on/off at the fittings for the test.

Regards

 

[Flanders]

i would wire the keyswiyches to only interrupt the supply to the EMs. that way you can leave the normal lighting on or switch it off with either it's own light switches or the MCB/s., whichever way suits the circumstances.

Sorry to dig up an old post I have always wired emergency lights like this but have come across installations were all the lights go out when trying to test the emergency lights in an office and so can not test the lights for the correct duration without leaving the office with low lights levels and annoying everyone in it is there a REG in BS5266 that states that non emergency lights should stay on when the emergency lights are being tested or is it just down to personnel or customer preference