Picture the scene: you are in a hotel overcome by fire. You wake up to smoke puffing through the bottom of your bedroom door, making your eyes water. You need to get out. Now. Wake the kids!
All assembled, you open the door to a curtain of grey smoke, faint orange glow and intense heat.
WHICH WAY?
Emergency lighting has been an often-neglected component of building design. The intricate requirements needed to ensure lighting safety in the event of a catastrophe are quickly de-prioritised with design and project management. The oversight and legislation so desperately needed for guidance and most importantly, compliance, are thin at best.
What are the minimum requirements in a passage? Maintained versus non-maintained? What are your minimum standby times? Is the actual signage compliant?
The seemingly vague knowledge base for answers to these questions and a whole host of others has resulted in the development of ELASA – the Emergency Lighting Association of South Africa. Lighting Revolution is a proud member of this unique and fledgling association with the intention of making our customer’s premises compliant and most importantly, safe.
ELASA has navigated a minefield of red-tape to improve the written standards so necessary for the industry. Working with the SABS, Fire Chiefs and the National Centre of Disaster Management, there has been a groundswell of support for legislative change and the pursuit of safe practices to be incorporated into lighting and building projects. Traditionally, sprinklers, fire doors and such have always been the focus of completed buildings. Lighting and indeed Emergency Lighting, will now meet a much more stringent and specific specification for authorised sign off by Fire Chiefs.
Using international and local directives, we have both the resources and certifications to ensure you meet OHS standards for your insurance and safety of your employees/self. Importantly, this extends beyond just a design aspect. We also include a catalogue of compliant product designed to meet the very specific needs required.
Please contact us for a free consultation on these services and products – we would be happy to help. This is a very exciting time for the lighting industry and we are proud to be a part of it’s development.
For further reference, the link below from Sparks Electrician news (courtesy of Crown Publications) may be of use:
https://user-54716422671.cld.bz/Sparks-Electrical-News-January-2022