Lighting Services Blog

      Every business wants to know what OSHA standards apply to them because those rules give a good idea of what will keep employees and customers safe. For instance, the rule that every exit route must be clear of obstruction and that the exit door can't have decorations or signs that hide the door is a great guideline for ensuring that your exit is usable in an emergency situation. As you can imagine, OSHA saves a lot of their rules for how exit areas are illuminated, and you will want to keep abreast of their requirements. Fortunately, OSHA has written out some clear guidelines in this. The following questions are some that you, the business owner, need to ask.

Emergency lighting fixtures are ever-present in public and business buildings throughout the country, so omnipresent that we often forget they are there at all -- until the moment we need them.

According to safety regulations, your commercial building is required to have emergency exit lights indicating both emergency exit doors and the path to emergency exits if the route is not apparent. But installing your exit lights correctly is about more than just placement. Emergency exit lights need to function properly and safely even in situations where all other lights in the building fail. 

This is why most emergency exit lights are connected to a backup battery source that will last at least a few hours after power fails or is cut off in the building. Beyond power source, you should also think carefully about the materials used to build your emergency exit lights and the bulbs that illuminate the signs so that people in dangerous situations can clearly navigate their way to safety.

Building safety regulations require that every commercial facility be fitted with a minimum number of lit emergency exit signs. Anywhere the closest fire escape route is not immediately evident must have a visibly lit exit sign with an arrow pointing in the correct direction. Exterior doors must be marked with a similar exit sign, letting everyone know which door leads them to the safe outdoor areas. However, you have no reason to stop at the bare minimum of what the fire marshal demands.

Fire safety is one of the biggest reasons that building codes mandate emergency exit lights, but it isn't the only reason to have these fixtures. In fact, fire is thankfully rare in buildings that comply with local building codes. This makes it so that emergency exit lights are usually activated in other situations. Here are some of the most common ones:

     When there is an emergency in your business, school, warehouse or other building, you need to make it easy for people to evacuate. This can be extremely difficult when it's pitch dark. Rather than trapping everyone inside, you can use emergency exit lighting.

Emergency exit signs are in every public building that is up to code, but what many people don't realize is that the best ones offer more than the word "exit." They also include bright spotlights that make it easy to spot any obstacles, find doors, and find the way around corners. Without these lights, an exit sign is far less useful.

       Safety is a primary concern for both small businesses and large companies. Often overlooked, emergency light installation gives you the best chance of saving lives and preventing damages regardless of the scenario. Lighting Services, Inc provides both industrial and commercial clients with exceptional products that guarantee safety and security.

You see them everywhere you go, in hospitals, libraries, stores, and museums. Emergency exit lights are posted in various and highly visible areas, pointing people to safety should the need arise. Generally speaking, they are often overlooked because the chances of a real emergency are slim. Unfortunately, emergencies do happen and they aren't always in the form of a fire or power outage such as the recent flooding in Houston, TX. 

Ensuring Safety On College Campus

If you’re like most business owners and managers, even though you‘re opening a new business or getting an old emergency preparedness system up to code, you still have several other things on your plate. However, making sure your building is up to code is not only extremely important because your local city or county government could close your business, it’s also important to protect your guests, customers and staff. Many people stay compliant because it’s the law. However, there’s a human factor involved. Businesses should strive to be compliant because they want to keep people safe.