The Importance of Commercial Emergency Lighting Systems | SERVPRO® of East Mecklenburg/Matthews

4/20/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of East Mecklenburg/Matthews has an emergency team available at all times. Call to begin the restoration process immediately.

The primary objective of emergency lights is to ensure that building occupants have a safe escape in the case of a power loss. That being said, exit signs and emergency lighting are often overlooked when it comes to commercial fire safety.

Without routine maintenance and inspections of your emergency lighting systems, you could be putting your employees and tenants at risk of serious injury—or worse.

By law, emergency lighting systems must be capable of running for a minimum of 90 minutes in the event that your building’s power goes out. It’s important to ensure that your emergency lighting system is ready and functioning when it needs to by completing monthly and annual inspections, tests, and maintenance in accordance with legal requirements.

Emergency lighting is supplied in two major methods. One is to install an emergency generator and automatic transfer switch in the building, which will power a section of lights in the event of a power outage.

Monthly

Conduct a 30-second test of your emergency lighting every month. This is also known as a “fast check,” and it ensures that the system transfers from your electrical infrastructure over to battery power and ensures that the lights function properly when in battery mode.

Annual

Testing your emergency lights annually is an excellent technique to keep the battery in good condition. The test will require fully discharging the batteries for 90 minutes and then fully recharging them, which strengthens the batteries.

Therefore, if your building’s power goes out, your system will light up and direct you to the closest escape to safety. It is critical to ensure that your systems are tested on a monthly and annual basis as part of your company’s safety protocol.

When doing your monthly 30-second test and inspection as well as verifying that the entire 90-minute test was done within the previous 12 months, ensure sufficient documentation was kept for these tests to confirm that all required testing was performed.

If your commercial property takes on fire damage, SERVPRO of East Mecklenburg/Matthews is here to help. We have emergency teams on deck at all times ready to take your call and begin the restoration process immediately.