However, with the large array of emergency lighting options available and the complex legislation, it can be difficult to know exactly what your building needs.

What Is Emergency Lighting?

Put simply, emergency lighting is any lighting fixture that has an independent power source, such as a battery pack, so that it can remain illuminated in the event of a power failure. Therefore, these lights can help indicate the fastest and safest way out of a building if there is an emergency.

What Is the Australian Standard for Emergency Lighting?

There are two key Australian standards you must follow when it comes to emergency lighting for a building the public uses. These are:

• AS/NZS 2293.1:2018 Emergency lighting and exit signs for buildings, Part 1: System design, installation and operation
• AS/NZS 2293.3:2018 Emergency lighting and exit signs for buildings, Part 3: Emergency luminaires and exits signs

There is also an Australian standard for testing and maintaining emergency lighting, which we will go into a little more detail later.

These standards document how your emergency lighting needs to be set up, including that emergency lights need their own circuit, wherever they are in Australia. However, as general rules go:

• Exit signs need to be clearly visible, placed above exit doors, at the top of stairs and anywhere the escape path changes direction, as well as being lit at all times.
• Emergency lights need to be present at regular points along the exit path. Where and how regularly these lights need to be installed will depend on the type of emergency lighting, the building’s shape and the ceiling height.

Your building will affect what exact requirements you need to meet. This can include aspects like floor area and the class of building (for example, a hotel or a retail store). Regardless, as the owner of the building, it is your responsibility to ensure that all emergency lighting is correctly installed to meet the standards.

As a result, you need an experienced and reliable electrician installing this lighting. They need to understand the specificity of these standards to create a compliant design. This is because in the case of an emergency, being able to follow a clearly lit route can help avoid casualties and limit panic.

What Emergency Lighting Is Available?

There are two ways to break down the different types of emergency lighting. Firstly, you can look at how and when they activate. In this grouping, you’ll find three key types

• Maintained: this is any emergency lighting that is lit at all times for safety.
• Non-maintained: in comparison, this emergency lighting only switches on when power fails and other lighting sources are, therefore, not working.
• Sustained: this is emergency lighting that features two lamps within one fitting. At any given time, only one lamp will be lit. This means the light can function in everyday circumstances as a typical lighting fixture and then be an emergency light as needed.

The other way to approach types of emergency lighting is by how they visually appear. This is because while emergency lighting needs to be clearly visible, they do not all have to look the same (with some exceptions).

• Emergency exit signs: these are probably what come to mind most obviously as emergency lighting. Functioning as both a light and sign, there is little variation when it comes to these emergency lights to ensure that it is clear to everyone that they indicate an exit or exit path. As noted above, they will be placed above exit doors, at the top of stairs or anywhere along the exit path when it changes direction.
• Emergency battens: in day-to-day use, battens are a great way to effectively light up a space. In emergency situations, you’ll see them in fire stairs and car parks when you need high visibility in a large or difficult-to-light area.
• Emergency spotlights: these floodlights are an alternative to battens, brightly lighting up a large area to help people easily navigate their way to safety.
• Emergency oyster lights: these are likely the most aesthetically pleasing of the emergency lights. They’re designed to be discreet and blend in with other light fixtures, but in an emergency, will also effectively light up an area for safe evacuation.
• Emergency spitfires: in a similar vein, spitfires are made to visually disappear on a ceiling so as to not detract from a space’s overall aesthetic appearance. However, they will become lit in an emergency to help people find their way to the exit, almost as a form of path lighting.

What Is the Australian Standard for Emergency Lighting Testing?

Once your emergency lighting is correctly installed, your responsibility then becomes to ensure that it is well maintained and can be relied upon in an emergency. This is where AS/NZS 2293.2:2018 (Emergency lighting and exit signs for buildings, Part 2: Routine service and maintenance) comes into effect.

Following this standard, all your emergency lighting needs to be tested every 6 months. This test is to simulate power loss to the building. Therefore, to successfully pass, the emergency lighting must stay lit for a full 90 minutes, running on battery power alone.

In order to make this regular testing easier to complete, your emergency lighting may come with an automatic testing system and run the test itself, providing you with a readout or indicator if the lighting passed or failed the test. If your emergency lighting does not have such a feature, you will need to switch off the power to the lighting’s dedicated circuit and let it run using battery power for the full 90 minutes. You or a technician will need to check that the light passes the test.

If any lighting fails this test, it must be repaired or replaced. This can be as simple as changing the battery or LED strip. However, in terms of cost-effectiveness, it is sometimes better to replace the whole unit.

Shop Compliant & Safe Emergency Lighting at MJS Electrical Supplies

Failure to have compliant emergency lighting on your premises can lead to infringement notices, fines and even prosecution — not to mention endangering the lives of those who use the space. Therefore, the smart move is to have your emergency lighting installed by a competent and reliable electrician, then regularly tested.

To get you started on this journey, MJS Electrical Supplies has an extensive range of emergency lighting to choose from. With options from leading international brands, like Clipsal, you can get the very best in emergency lighting, setting yourself up for easy testing and effective compliance.