British standards
BS 5266-10:2008 update:
Guide to the design and provision of emergency lighting to reduce the risks from hazards in the event of failure of the normal lighting supply.
BS 5266-1, BS EN 1838/BS 5266-7 and BS EN 50172/BS 5266-8 already suggest minimum light levels required to allow safe evacuation or shut down processes, though references are mostly given in general terms.
BS 5266-10:2008 now provides specific guidance and recommendations on:
- Hazards that can arise in a building as a result of the type or number of occupants
- Design of premises and activities carried out within it
- Occupants responsibilities in the event of a normal lighting supply failure
- Factors in design and provision of emergency lighting systems to meet identified hazards for buildings
- Ability for correctly installed emergency lighting to help reduce risk
- Advice on appropriate emergency lighting levels, initiation times and working planes.
Advice for inspecting engineers
BS 5266-10 provides advice for inspecting engineers on the suitability of emergency lighting design and installation for new and existing systems, including:
- Need for emergency lighting
- Emergency lighting to be considered for specific locations
- Portable emergency luminaires
- Testing, maintenance and record keeping
- Procedures to limit the risks of annual full duration testing.
Advice on annexes
BS 5266-10 covers annexes, providing guidance:
- Luminance measurements and calculations
- UK requirements for emergency lighting
- Responses to queries on BS 5266-1
- Compliance checks and reports for existing sites