How to Install Emergency Lighting

Have you ever been hired by a client to install emergency lighting or signs? Even though emergency lighting isn’t often as flashy or obvious as decorative lighting, it is just as important as any other lighting installation. Here are a few tips that will help you to know how to install emergency lighting.

Indoor Emergency Lighting

The locations of indoor emergency lighting should be carefully planned to light essential areas in a building. You likely won’t be able to light a room completely and evenly with indoor emergency lighting, but all lighting fixtures should be positioned to provide illumination in essential locations. For example, indoor emergency lighting should illuminate hallways, obstructions, doorways, turning points, stairways, and more. They should also be used to illuminate important safety instructions, such as signs giving fire exit safety routes. The installation of emergency lighting is required by law and if they aren’t installed correctly, particularly by a contractor, you could be facing legal penalties and/or fines. The installation of indoor emergency lighting should comply with standards put out by OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

There are usually two different kinds of emergency lighting that you would likely be installing inside a building, including maintained and non-maintained emergency lights. Maintained emergency lighting isn’t only used in the case of an emergency. They’re also used in day-to-day lighting and are connected to the main electrical supply. Most maintained indoor emergency lights can be easily installed by connecting them to the main power supply. They can also be powered by batteries or their alternative power source if the power circuit is cut from the main power source. Non-maintained emergency lighting is used solely in the event of an emergency when the main electrical supply is cut and the power goes out. When you’re installing indoor emergency lighting, make sure that you know what type of lighting your client intends to use.

Outdoor Emergency Lighting

Outdoor emergency lighting is similar to indoor emergency lighting in many ways. Many outdoor emergency lights are installed by being hung or mounted onto a wall or outdoor object. Since most outdoor emergency lights are powered by battery or solar sources, you likely won’t have to connect to interior wires and power sources. However, if you want your outdoor emergency light to be able to sense when the power goes off inside, you will want to connect it to the electrical wiring system of the building. Make sure that you check the voltage of the lighting fixture and the system inside to connect them appropriately and safely. Many outdoor lighting fixtures can also have a motion-sensor feature to be used as a safety precaution feature.

Exit Signs and Other Emergency Signs

When you’re working on a job installing emergency lighting, your client might also want you to install some exit signs or emergency signs. These signs are essential to have well-lit in the case of an emergency because they can help the building’s occupants to know where to go when the building isn’t normally illuminated. There are a few different types of emergency signs that you can install. Many emergency exit signs can be installed with a side mounting bracket that is connected to another light source. Some other signs are powered by nickel-cadmium battery sources. A self-luminous sign, which is powered by tritium, won’t need to be connected to a power source. These types of emergency signs can be easily installed by mounting them in the appropriate location without worrying about connecting wires and sources.

Why Do I Need to Know How to Install Emergency Lighting?

If you’re accustomed to doing more residential electrical work, you might wonder why you need to know how to install emergency lighting. However, this is an invaluable skill for you to have as a professional electrician or contractor as it provides an essential safety measure in emergencies. Emergency lighting is important because it is supposed to function in case of an emergency to protect people in a certain building or area. Even if there is a natural disaster or power outage, emergency lighting should be designed to function with an independent, alternative power source, such as batteries, to keep them functioning even without electricity. If you do electrical work in industrial areas or retail buildings, you’ll likely be required to install emergency lighting to make the building and/or area safer for its occupants.

So if you’ve been hired to install some emergency lighting for a client, remember the details in this article. You might need to install indoor emergency lighting, outdoor emergency lighting, exit signs, and other emergency signs. Make sure that you pay attention to the power sources and voltage required for each of these emergency lighting features.

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