mardi 22 avril 2014

What You Need To Know About Emergency Exit Signs With Lights

By Essie Osborn


The laws regulating the emergency lighting system have been in place since 1940 and the structures erected for commercial purpose, institutional purpose or for industrial use are required to meet given expectations in regards to this. The emergency exit signs with lights for instance must be strategically placed along the exit route and must remain illuminated for not less than 90 minutes after the main light source goes off.

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 requirements as stated by OSHA demands that each of exist route is adequately lighted to the level that all those with normal vision are able to clearly see the exit rout. Some of the requirements in regards to signs include the presence of the EXIT writing done with legible letters which should not be less than 6 inches in height. The designation sign should accompany the word particularly at the sections where the way out is not obvious.

The lighting procedures are outlined in NFPA 101. For instance, the gadget needs to be illuminated by an incandescent source or a fluorescence source which is located on the gadget surface. For the gadgets that rely on internal illumination, the light sources are also internal.

This could have variety of sources ranging from fluorescent, incandescent, LED, electro luminescent or even photoluminescent. For the photoluminescent signs, the device must be illuminated by a self-contained power source that it able to operate independent from any other sources. As such, batteries do not qualify for this category.

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.

The devices that are commonly in use are the photoluminescent signs and are exposed to independent light source for a given duration of time to be fully charged ready to function. This is the only way they are guaranteed to work at any time when the fire alarm goes on or when the main power source fails.

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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