Emergency lighting

BS 5266, published by the BSI (British Standards Institution), is a comprehensive standard concerning emergency lighting. Its primary purpose is to ensure that adequate illumination is provided in buildings during a failure of the normal lighting supply, enabling safe evacuation and minimizing panic. While the standard covers various aspects of emergency lighting systems, including design, installation, testing, and maintenance, it directly impacts safety signage. Specifically, BS 5266 mandates the illumination of emergency escape route signage, including exit signs, directional signs, and fire equipment location signs. The standard specifies the required luminance levels, colour contrast, and viewing distances for these signs to ensure they are clearly visible and easily understood during an emergency. Proper application of BS 5266 ensures that occupants can safely navigate to exits even under reduced or absent normal lighting conditions, significantly enhancing overall building safety and compliance with fire safety regulations. It also addresses the need for maintained and non-maintained systems depending on the risk assessment of the premises.