Emergency lighting & duty of care

Some of you may have seen my recent video on social media about emergency lighting, in it i said i would be posting soon about emergency lighting. I’ve tried to condense my thoughts but cant so i’m going to do a little series of posts ……………. so here we go with Part 1 – Duty of care.

This post is aimed at all you people out there working for a company where your role involves the management of emergency lighting systems. If you are a business owner, manager or person tasked with the management of premises then you are known as the legal ‘duty holder’ and you could be prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work Order.

The law states that it SHALL be the duty of every employer to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his/her employees. This isn’t scare tactics, its the law.

Now i’m going to freestyle a bit but my view is that regular maintenance of electrical systems for safety helps tick the above box.  So in lay mans terms i am going to give clients some advice FREE of charge.

  • BS:5266-1 was updated in 2016. There are an awful lot of people/contractors out there who are still referring to the 2005 or 2011 versions. This is a red flag.
  • The above standard has an amended verification checklist, you should receive one of these when test is completed along with a logbook. If you are only given a certificate its another red flag.
  • It is advised that discharge testing is done whilst the building is unoccupied so the batteries have the opportunity to re-charge. Anyone testing a system during normal working hours may be taking a risk.
  • Ask for a sample of battery dates from the contractor carrying out work. It is advised that batteries be changed between every 2 to 4 years.
  • Any decent contractor should ask to see your prior documentation along with a copy of the escape plan drawing and fire risk assessment.

The above information is all freely available. The reason for me putting it here is the belief that contractors have a duty to educate and inform clients as much as possible. Our role is to support clients and guide them on a journey toward a compliant installation.

If you have any questions please get in touch

Until my next post, stay safe.

John Lorimer

Owner/Director at FCS Services Ltd

www.fcsservices.co.uk