What kinds of buildings require Exit Signs & Emergency Lighting?

 

Both businesses and residential premises require exit signs and emergency lighting. Exit signs and emergency lighting should be installed in any government or commercial building that has employees, is accessed by the general public, or has customers. Multi-residential buildings should also have emergency exits and emergency lighting in their common areas to ensure the safe evacuation of their residents and guests.

Exit Signs & Emergency Lighting Compliance

 

Having working exit signs & emergency lighting is a requirement for compliance under the Australian Standards AS2293. The standard requires that if there is a power failure of some kind, the exit signs and emergency lighting should remain powered for 90 minutes. This 90 minutes of extra power is supplied by their internal batteries, which is what allows for illumination inside buildings during an emergency where the power to the building is compromised. Even in the day, the loss of the building’s regular lighting can make emergency exits difficult to locate and negatively impact evacuation procedures.

Routine Services & Maintenance

 

In order to comply with Australian Standards AS2293, a qualified technician should be inspecting and testing the emergency exit signs and lighting regularly. Routine services and maintenance tasks should occur on a 6 monthly, 12 monthly and 10 yearly basis. Some of these maintenance tasks include power drop testing, inspecting for damage or faults, matching replacement parts to compliance specifications, reviewing records to ensure any issues are resolved in a timely manner to avoid non-compliance, as well as cleaning of the exit signs and lights themselves to ensure maximum visibility.

General Requirements for Exit Signs

 

Emergency exit signs should be installed:

• Above exit doors
• At the top of staircases
• At any change of direction along the egress path

The exact position of the exit signs will be determined by the dimensions and shape of the building to ensure proper visibility for emergency evacuation.

Testing Exit Signs & Emergency Lighting

 

Every 6 months, exit signs and emergency lighting need to be tested to make sure they will run for the required 90 minutes on their battery. They are tested by recreating a loss of power. During this time, any issues are recorded in the logbook which can be either digital or physical. Proof of repairs to any issues identified is required to maintain compliance. The specifics of the testing conducted depend on existing systems and fittings.

Faulty Exit Sign & Emergency Lighting

 

There are a number of issues that a technician is looking for when they service and maintain the exit signs and emergency lighting system. One way that a layperson might notice a fault with the exit signs or emergency lighting in a building is through the LED charge indicator. Each exit sign or emergency light comes with a visible LEG light that will be either red or green. If the light is on, it indicates that power is connected to the fitting and that the battery is charging. If the light is off, it means there is either no power to the fitting or that there is a battery charging failure that needs addressing. If you notice that the light is off, this should be immediately reported and repaired.