An exit light or sign is a pictogram, with or without complementary text, which is installed in a public facility with the purpose of indicating path of travel towards the nearest emergency exit in case evacuation is needed. Exit signs are designed to be unmistakable and understandable and most of the relevant emergency codes (fire, building, health, or safety) require permanently illuminated exit signs.

Exit lights are compulsory in commercial, industrial and some residential buildings, being determined by the classes of the building codes of Australia.

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n emergency light is a battery-powered luminare that switches on automatically when a building experiences a power outage. Emergency lighting includes emergency escape lighting, illuminated emergency exit signages, high-risk task-area lighting and standby lighting. Emergency lights are compulsory in commercial, industrial and some residential buildings, being determined by the classes of the building codes of Australia.

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Maintained luminaires are emergency lighting lamps that are on at all times as well as main failure outage. Non-maintained luminaire refers to illumination via battery back-up only during a main failure outage. Additionally, switch-maintained luminaire are emergency lighting lamps which allows illumination via an external switch and during a main failure outage.

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A centrally supplied luminaire is a light source along with its emergency power source and associated charging and control equipment. Generally it is located in a remote room or enclosure, and the emergency power source may be located in a room with battery systems associated with building monitoring, fire safety or evacuation systems.

Self-contained or single-point luminaires have an integral battery and charger system for each individual luminaire, with its input power source generally supplied by a dedicated unswitched lighting circuit.

In case of a power disruption of the supplying power to a building’s general lighting, the emergency supply from the integral battery is activated automatically and energises the emergency luminaire’s light source, providing adequate lighting throughout the designated egress path of the building.

Architects, Electrical Engineers and Electrical Consultants usually are responsible for designing the floorplan of a new build or refurbishment, thus they will be the ones drafting and locating all the exit and emergency lighting devices.

Within the exit and emergency lighting Australian standards (AS/NZS 2293.1), maximum spacing tables are provided based on a luminaire classification. This classification must be provided by the manufacturer with third-party certification. For example, the following table is a direct reference from AS/NZS 2293.1.

Mounting heights for emergency exit signs shall not be less than 2 metres and not more than 2.7 metres above the floor level, or immediately above the doorway if the doorway is higher than 2.7 metres.

All buildings must register the periodic inspections and maintenance report in a hard-copy or digital logbook. The logbook must be kept on site and contain information related to:

• Exit and emergency luminaire identification and location, circuit identification and location, battery voltage readings, discharge test results, diffuser / light source appearance observation.
• Any maintenance task performed.
• The personnel of those carrying out the maintenance and testing and the date the test was completed.

According to exit and emergency lighting Australian standards – AS/NZS 2293.1, clause 1.7 – every alteration of, or addition to an existing installation shall be deemed to be a new installation and all relevant provisions of this standard shall apply to every such alteration or addition.

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The purpose of the BCA is to safeguard occupants from injuries by providing adequate lighting, which specifies:

• 0.2 lux, minimum, at floor level in general areas.
• 1.0 lux at floor level in every stairway, ramp or fire isolated passageway.

• The commissioning test duration provides 0.2 lux and an average of 0.5 lux at floor level for 1.33 x in-service time, commonly referred to as 120 minutes.
• In the instances of a power failure, the emergency light must provide 0.2 lux and an average of 0.5 lux at floor level for a minimum in-service time duration of 90 minutes.