Our Voltimum Experts answer your questions on a daily basis in our Technical Expertise area. This Question of the Day, on outside emergency lighting bulkheads and their status, is answered by SELECT:
Having looked through BS 5266 parts 1 to 10, I cannot see anything that refers directly to this. However, the client has been on a SELECT emergency lighting course quite recently, where he was advised that maintained fittings are required.
Having given it some thought, I would think it does make sense to have this, as in the event of an emergency, if there is no other means of external lighting at the building, it could cause a hazard if the emergency lighting which is designed to 'illuminate the space in the immediate vicinity if the building' is non-maintained.
BS 5266 is quite clear that 'where normal lighting may be dimmed or turned off, a maintained emergency lighting system should be installed'.
Is this what my client and SELECT may have been referring to? And would you recommend using maintained emergency luminaires in these circumstances?
Seeing an external luminaire energised during daylight hours looks wrong and seems a waste of energy.
Answer: You do not mention the type of building. But no doubt the risk assessment may have identified that external emergency lighting was required in the immediate vicinity of exits in order to assist in dispersal to a safe area. See BS 5266-1:2005 paragraph 7.8.2 and BS 5266-8:2004 paragraph 5.4.1.
The external emergency lighting in such circumstances can be 'maintained' or 'non-maintained'. The SELECT course notes indicate this in Appendix B. Therefore, we are not sure where your client is coming from, unless it was for a particular instance where maintained lighting was required under the risk assessment.
You may also refer to the IEE 'Electrician's Guide to Emergency Lighting'.
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