Prevent Your Emergency Lighting Systems & Exit Signs From Failing
As discussed in one of our recent articles, emergency lighting and exit sign systems are liable to failing often, which can land your business in significant trouble. There are a few practices and measures that you should focus on in order to minimise the risk of system failure and keep your business legally compliant and fire safe.
The Consequences of Emergency Lighting Failure
Due to the nature of fire safety and the important role it plays in protecting lives and preventing serious damage, it is punishable by law if you fail to adhere to the correct regulations. In the UK, this means that you can be fined, have your building prohibited for use, and can even be imprisoned. This is all in addition to putting the lives of your staff and customers at serious risk.
Preventing Failure
Use Quality Backup Batteries And Check Them Regularly
All emergency lighting systems require a backup power source, as during the event of a fire, it could easily be the case that electricity supply to the building gets shut off.
These backup power sources involve using batteries that can then continue to light the lights even after electrical supply has stopped. In order to minimise the risk of failure, it’s important that these batteries are high quality and frequently checked to ensure that they’re still working.
Quality nickel-cadmium and lithium-ion batteries are a good option thanks to their long lifespan and high energy density, allowing them to perform well for a number of years. It’s still essential that you check, test, and maintain them in order to keep them in good working order.
Use LED Lighting
There are several bulb types that can be used in your emergency lighting systems, however if you’re looking to create the most efficient and reliable system, you should make sure that all bulbs are LED.
When compared to fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs have a significantly longer lifespan and also require less energy to work – making them reliable in more situations. If you’re still using an older system or aren’t aware as to which bulb types your system currently uses, it’s worth having a look and upgrading where necessary.
Testing
Testing all parts of your emergency lighting systems is not just important in preventing failure but is actually required by law. Your business must be testing these systems on a regular basis to ensure that they’re still working and that there are no faults anywhere across the system. Identifying potential flaws or issues allows you to fix the problem quickly before an incident arises.
View the image below to see when you should be testing your emergency lighting.
Maintenance & Upgrades
Perhaps the most important measure that will keep your emergency lighting systems and exit signs functioning as they should is staying on top of maintenance and ensuring that they are modernised when necessary.
There are many different elements that make up an emergency lighting system, including batteries, wiring, lamps/bulbs, control panels, circuits, switches, and more. As a result of this complex nature, it’s likely for certain elements to stop working which could then prevent the entire system from functioning.
It’s your responsibility as a business to make sure your systems are maintained when they should be, and are upgraded to meet modern standards when needed. Doing so will keep your systems in good condition and will greatly help to prevent them from failing.
Don’t let emergency lighting system and exit sign failure land your business in serious trouble. Stay on top of testing and maintenance with TF Installations – get in touch with us today to discuss your needs and we can create a regular schedule to keep you safe and compliant.
