Emergency lighting to BS EN 1838 or BS 5266-1?

[Guest Ed]

We are reviewing the emergency lighting calculations of another consulting engineer on a care home/residential project and are having a problem concerning the correct standard that they should be using.

The consultants did their emergency lighting calculations in April 2012 with preliminary design in December 2011. The have worked to BS EN 1838:1999 (the 0.2 lux standard) and we believe that they should have worked to BS 5266-1:2011 (Published November 2011 – the 1lux standard). Now legally are they allowed to work to the 0.2 lux standard even with the new standard being published? I understand that there is a deviation but if this was to go to court is it still acceptable to work to the 0.2 lux standard during these times. Do you know when it would be acceptable to work to BS EN 1838:1999 (cross-over period perhaps)?

Many thanks if you could answer my query.

[Tom Sutton]

British standards are guides and best practice not a legal requirement.

The Responsible Person (RP) has to conduct a fire risk assessment based on the ALARP principle (as low as reasonably practical) and it is up to the RP to decide what alarp is. The Fire and Rescue Service as enforcement authority has to audit the FRA and decide if the FRA is suitable & sufficient.

It is up to the RP and FRS to decide if an older standard is acceptable or should the latest standard be used, usually the latest standard is chosen. If they cannot agree and it goes to court it is very likely the court will consider the latest standard as best practice but not always and it will depend on the arguments presented.

I would suggest if the EL has not been installed and only lines on paper then I would use the latest standard to offset and problems in the future which could be costly.

[Guest YvonneLi]

Our emergency lighting and emergency exit signs are beginning to fail. We intend to replace several of them. Do we have to replace all to the current regulations or can we just replace those that are faulty.

[Tom Sutton]

It depends on the premises, system you have installed and the number of units that need replacing to give a definitive response. The emergency exit signs should conform BS EN ISO 7010 and in many cases the so called Euro signs have been used, which are still legal but in the near future are likely to become illegal, and will need replacing. So it is not an easy decision and you can purchase plastic stick on BS 7010 signs to replace the Euro signs which may be acceptable.

Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/emergency-lighting/ ( the Emergency Exit Light shows the Euro sign) and http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-exit-signs/ (The BS 5499-1 sign is the same as the BS EN ISO 7010 sign)

[Guest LongHairAngus]

Is there a preference on which cable to use if surface mounted I.e. T & E of Firetuf

[AnthonyB]

On 06/07/2023 at 15:07, Guest LongHairAngus said:

Is there a preference on which cable to use if surface mounted I.e. T & E of Firetuf

Whatever non fire resisting cabling suits the situation. It's an urban myth EL cabling needs to be fire resistant (the one exception being for slave fittings off a central back up power source such as a central battery, inverter or generator) as should fire damage the cable it will failsafe onto it's internal battery unlike fire alarm devices which would just fail.