The Importance of Emergency Lighting in a Power Outage

When you own or operate a business, you are responsible for the safety and security of your customers, employees, vendors, and any other guests that may make their way onto your premises. One way to fulfill that responsibility is to ensure that your worksite is properly equipped with emergency lighting in the event of an accident that cuts the power and leaves everyone in the dark. 

Emergency Lighting Isn't Just Important, It's Required

Every state requires buildings to have emergency lighting that follows the regulations for that state dictated by governing bodies. However, if you're unsure of what the regulations are in your state, a good rule of thumb is to pull up OSHA and NFPA regulations and check for their guidance for your type of organization and building setup.

At the bare minimum, every business and commercial location should be equipped to provide emergency lighting for at least one and a half hours. This period should be sufficient to ensure all of your employees, customers, and other types of guests can find their belongings and make their way out of the building and into a safe location. Of course, while 1.5 hours is the bare minimum, you can always choose to go longer and ensure that you have ample emergency lighting throughout a prolonged blackout. This is a good idea, as it ensures your location can serve as a safe place to outlast something like a severe thunderstorm that can make situations outside perilous in addition to taking out the electricity. 

What's Required of Emergency Lighting

Now that you know you need emergency lighting, you next need to know what type you should get. Emergency lighting must offer enough light for an exit route to be clearly visible when all other lights are out and in the dead of night when there is no or minimal outdoor light coming in.

When researching the different emergency lighting and signage out on the market, you'll find two key products: Emergency exit signs and running lights. Emergency exit signs are required of all commercial buildings, including commercial residential buildings like apartments and condominiums. These emergency exit signs are the big signs that have the word "EXIT" written out. Building or business owners should ensure that they are outfitted on every door that can be used to safely exit a building. If you have a large and complex building, such as an industrial warehouse or multi-unit office building, you may also consider utilizing "No Exit" emergency signs as an added precaution.

In addition to these clearly marked emergency exit signs, a comprehensive emergency lighting setup should also include running lights. Running lights are those lights located periodically through spaces like hallways that help direct individuals towards the aforementioned exit signs. 

Getting the Right Lights & the Right Batteries for Your Emergency Lighting Needs

The type of emergency lighting you buy will depend upon your business. For example, if you operate a business that is prone to having high humidity, such as a gym with an indoor pool or a growhouse, then you will want to invest in waterproof lighting. Likewise, commercial facilities that deal with hazardous chemicals should invest in the appropriate hazardous lighting capable of withstanding a chemical mishap.

Once you have the right lights, then you need the right batteries. At MK Battery, we offer a wide array of high quality batteries to ensure that no matter the disaster, your building will be ready to illuminate and safely direct occupants where necessary. Contact us today to learn more.