Emergency Lighting

[sw-electrical]

I need some advice on emergency lighting. I am currentlyinvolved in a smallish store shed conversion(at the rear of a row of shops)that has been converted into 2 flats/apartments. One flat has its main doorfrom the street at ground level. The other flat has its main door on the 1[SUP]st[/SUP]floor, which is accessed by a set of steel stairs in an alley way, that iscurrently lit by PIR lighting from another property in the alley. The planshave been drawn by an architect and he has specified all the requirements, electrical,gas, plumbing etc. It is this spec that I am working to.

He has put the requirements for emergency lighting to belocated adjacent to the new flat door entrance and at the foot of thestairwell.

My question(s) is this

1. Is emergency lighting actually required, if sodoes it have to be maintained, and for how long.
   
2. What purpose does it serve, other than emergencyexit in a power failure
   
3. Can it be switched on and off as a normal light,but still provide emergency backup.
   
4. Would standard bulkheads meet requirements.

I personally think that the architect has over spec’d this,as he has done elsewhere with other requirements.

I’ve not done any emergency lighting requirements before, asmost of my work tends to be domestic, and this is more suited to commercialproperties.

Any advice or links to info would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[BES]

Try this site
www.firesafe.org.uk/emergency-lighting/

 

[tazz]

Answers ....1. Because they are access stairs, they need normal and em lighting. 2.preventing accidents...3.yes by using maintained fitting, it can be switch via inside light switch or pirs..3. bs5266 is your standard, and a maintained IP rated fitting will be required