Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Basics Of Emergency Exit Signs With Lights

By Essie Osborn


Emergency lighting use in all institutional, industrial and commercial buildings has been in practice since 1940s and is mandated by local authorities, state government and federal government. The emergency exit signs with lights are required to remain luminous for at least 90 minutes after the main light goes out. The time is estimated to be enough for all occupants to exit the building during a crisis.

There are stringent criteria to be met by these lighting systems for them to be acceptable for construction. There are several codes used for reference when determining their proper applications. The main ones are the International Building Code (IBC), Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) National Electrical Code (NFPA 70)and Health Care Facility Code (NFPA 99). All these requirements together with all others as promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have to be adhered to by the contractor.

The prerequisites as expressed by OSHA states each route leading to the exit door sufficiently lighted so that anybody with ordinary vision easily locate the route. The gadget itself needs to have an EXIT sign written with bold and clear letters not less than six inches in size. An arrow showing the direction is to be used together with the writing in parts of the rout where the direction is not obvious.

In order to get approval, the luminous system should light the path every time the fire alarm goes on. According to NFPA 101, the device used to mark the exit path could be surface lit or internally lit. The surface lighted devices are powered by fluorescence or incandescence while the internal ones are also light internally.

The gadgets illuminated from internal light source may have a variety of light source but the common ones are the fluorescence, incandescence, photoluminescence and the light emitting diodes (LED). The most common ones are the photoluminescence signs which are required to be powered by an independent power source and must illuminate all the time the main power source goes off.

The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) gives the last word on whether the exit lighting system meets the set requirements or not. Basically, these devices should be present at all paths that are meant for emergency pathway and should be clearly marked and positioned at the correct height.

In order to function properly, photoluminescent signs need to get certain level of light exposure for a given duration from a specific type of light source. This is the only way to ensure that they are able to light the emergency exits for the whole duration as required and allowing for rapid, safe and successful exit and rescue mission.

As much as there are many requirements that must be met by the emergency lighting systems, not all systems are equal and some devices may not be used in given situations. The lighting source, the mounting heights and the environment are key determinants of best signs to install in any given building. The factors in environments include temperature, wet and damp sections, dust level and hazardous areas. Such conditions have specific gadgets designs and this must be kept in mind when making the purchase.




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