FOCUS HEALTH & SAFETY
FIRE AND LIGHT
Despite previous studies
highlighting the dangerous gaps
in emergency lighting, it still remains
an issue. According to a 2020
Hilclare(i) report, 44 per cent of firms
in England don’t have the correct
emergency lighting. In 2018, Inside
Housing revealed(ii) over a third
of England’s social housing tower
blocks have inadequate emergency
lighting. In a survey of 1,584 tower
blocks – 40 per cent of the country’s
total social stock – a total of 402, or
25 per cent, had missing or broken
emergency lighting on the residents’
escape routes.
The danger is that emergency
lighting in a building can quickly fall
out of compliance due to damage, lack
of testing or maintenance and shi‡ ing
regulation. A ‘fit and forget’ mindset is
at the heart of why outdated and faulty
emergency lighting systems are so
prevalent today. Compliance o‡ en falls
between the accountability cracks,
particularly as building owners and
facilities managers frequently employ
third parties to test and rectify issues
with emergency lighting systems –
washing their hands of the upkeep, yet
remaining accountable for compliance
in the eyes of the law.
So other than the potential human
impact, what kind of consequences are
there for non-compliant emergency
lighting in a building? Sub-standard
emergency lighting systems could lead
to ineŠ icient evacuation during an
incident – bringing about injuries or
worse still, loss of life. Yet in addition
to the potential human impact, there
are financial consequences. While the
use of fire safety equipment can aid in
the reduction of insurance premiums,
it can also have the opposite impact
when done incorrectly. Insurance
companies can use non-compliance
with fire safety orders as a reason
for not paying out. Beyond this,
the reputational impact must
be considered – from putting oŠ
potential employees and customers to
impacting share prices.
To avoid the variety of consequences
that come with outdated emergency
lighting, a series of best practice
initiatives can be followed. First, an
up-to-date risk assessment must be
kept for all buildings and needs to be
updated on a regular basis in order
for your building to comply; this will
determine the type of emergency
lighting system required. The ultimate
goal of fire specific risk assessment
is to identify and mitigate the
number of fire hazards in a building.
It is performed by an assessor who
considers all the potential dangers
within a premise. Naturally, the risks
identified should be balanced by
appropriate fire protection systems
to both meet regulation standards
and ensure fire safety shi‡ s from
a‡ erthought to fundamental safety
requirement.
ASK THE EXPERT
Chris Watts is a Fire Safety Consultant,
BAFE(iii) Board Member, Chairman
of British Standard committee
responsible for BS 5266-1 (code of
practice for emergency lighting).
As convenor, he introduced CEN
EN 1838, CENELEC EN 50171 and
50172 European emergency lighting
standards(iv) and is recognised as an
industry expert on their development.
Here, he explains how facilities
managers can meet their legal duty of
safety.
“Facilities managers are responsible
for the safety of occupants in their
premises so they have a duty to check
the competence of fire safety providers
when sourcing help to protect
their building. Given that facilities
managers are unlikely to be experts in
building and fire safety standards, the
recommendation is always to verify
that their suppliers have a third-party
certification that is appropriate and
valid for the work required.
“Sadly, it is all too easy for those
without experience of fire safety
and protection to put their faith
in individuals without the right
qualifications or competencies –
leading to inadequate equipment
being installed or a lack of suitable
testing and maintenance. BAFE – the
independent registration body for
third party certified fire protection
companies across the UK – is a useful
starting point for anyone wanting
to meet their legal duty of safety.
By going through the independent
register of quality fire safety service
providers, facilities managers can find
independently audited and competent
professionals able to help them meet
their fire safety obligations.”
IS THE CURRENT EMERGENCY
LIGHTING LEGISLATION IN THE UK
FIT FOR PURPOSE?
“Emergency lighting legislation in
the UK is fit for purpose – if followed!
Sadly, all too o‡ en it is just not
implemented correctly. For example,
the principal of fire risk assessments
is much more suitable than blanket
rules which may be inappropriate for
particular applications. When done
correctly by qualified individuals, fire
risk assessments provide a measured
response to risk levels. However,
they only work when implemented
correctly. This means not only
ensuring the assessment is carried
out by individuals with the right
training, but also proceeding with the
correct level of follow-up in terms of
inspections, maintenance and – when
required – repairs. Incidents occur
when the initial assessment falls short,
or follow-up is inadequate.”
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO SEE A
SHIFT TO PRIORITISING SAFETY
WHICH MEETS – OR EVEN EXCEEDS –
STANDARDS?
“Unfortunately, many individuals take
a short-term view when considering
fire safety. Investing in quality
equipment solves the problem in
the long-term, yet many are swayed
by the false economy of opting for
the lowest cost deal to tick a box at
a moment in time. If they choose
substandard systems and don’t
engage certified professionals to do
the installation, they usually end
up paying more in the long-run to
replace or repair faulty technology.
Furthermore, if an incident occurs
and the individual responsible for the
building has clearly not done their
due diligence, that false economy
becomes even more pronounced as
they are hit with major fines – or even
a prison sentence.
“Ultimately, fire safety should never
be viewed as a short-term problem to
be solved for the minimum cost. Until
that short-term mindset evolves into
a longer-term view which prioritises
safety and considers total cost of
ownership rather than just the initial
price tag, we will continue to see
substandard equipment installed, a
lack of appropriate maintenance and,
sadly, peoples’ lives needlessly put
at risk.”
Anthony Martindale, Field Product Manager, Lighting, Eaton asks, why are outdated
and/or substandard emergency lighting systems so common in the UK?
REFERENCE NOTES
www.eaton.com
(i) https://bit.ly/3fe6byL
(ii) https://bit.ly/3d2rG2Y
(iii) https://www.bafe.org.uk/
(iv) https://standards.globalspec.com/
std/597047/EN%2050172
44 APRIL 2021
/3d2rG2Y
/3fe6byL
/www.eaton.com
/
/EN 50172
