Emergency Lighting

[nearlythere]

Has anyone ever considered it a good idea to have emergency lighting in all bedrooms of care homes so that, in the event of a loss of lighting, staff, who have to assist residents and patients, especially those needing the use of moving equipment, can see what they are doing?
I have taken to recommending the provision of a number of head torches for staff to use in an emergency. Rather than a hand torch these ensure that both hands are available.

[colin todd]

Nah.

[nearlythere]

Nah.

Why? Because it isn't in the book?

[Bill J]

Surely it depends on the purpose of the lighting design which should be specific to the evacuation procedures of the premises.
 
Is it intended to be emergency escape lighting, or standby lighting to allow normal tasks to continue?

Annexe D of BS5266-1 does include some additional recommendations.

Bill

[colin todd]

NO, Almost, because it is gilding the lily.

[kurnal]

It might be gilding the lily of the BS recommendations but how many care homes do not comply with the BS and yet receive certificates year after year with no comment made for example in respect of local sub circuit failure. I used to encounter many in my work and many RPs not interested in remediation. But this only affects double rooms and escape routes as traditional benchmark guidance does not make a recommendation for provision in single rooms. But the PEEPs may indicate the need for specialist equipment in single rooms. I also encountered many such provisions not in a state of readiness, eg ski sheets folded and under the mattress, not fitted.

Of course these problems are related to poor management and need proper and permanent remedy to a good standard but suggestions such as nearlythere's may help things in the short term. If you think it would help then recommend it in the FRA would be my advice but I personally would see it on a temporary  needs must basis.

As an aside many service users , in rooms where fittings are provided, find the charge lights very disturbing, and those on the new self testing fittings particularly so. They are often covered or disconnected for this reason.

[colin todd]

So you put in EL in the short term because other things are not right and when the other things are right, what then? Do you take it out again. When you were in Bathmat Lock fire service how many care home fires did you attend only to find the normal lighting had failed.

[kurnal]

No you fix the management issues as a priority but consider how best you may cover the interim and NTs suggestion may be part of this. The PEEP may indicate if permanent installation is needed. As for how many fires I have attended in care homes where the normal lighting had failed - the answer is several including one with multiple fatalities.

[lyledunn]

NTs idea is a good one. However, i believe that professionals inspecting, assessing and providing recommendations should be mindful of the minimum requirements of the relevant codes. It is quite easy to suggest that an underpass and a bridge would mitigate risk at a pedestrian crossing. It is less easy to assess the actual risk and keep the the recommendation under ones hat! I inspect emergency lighting systems on a regular basis and I am often tempted to make recommendations that would make a code-compliant installation more robust. I accept that it is sometimes difficult to separate simple auditing from risk analysis but if risk assessments stray too far beyond the codes then we might as well have a free- for -all that could cost British businesses a fortune.
If we have strong opinions, perhaps we should have them addressed during the public consultation stage of Standard development.