UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

REFERENCES
1) CIE Publication no. 49. Guide on the emergency lighting of building interiors. (1981)
2) CIBSE TM12. Emergency lighting. (1986)
3) TREGENZA, Peter, LOE, David. The design of lighting. E&FN Spon, London. (1998)
4) HKFSD. Code of Practice on Minimum Fire Services Installation. (1998)
5) BS5266; Part 1 : 1988

EMERGENCY LIGHTING

The purpose of emergency lighting is to provide safety for occupants of a building, in the case of
failure to normal lighting system. The failure may be due to interruption of power supply, may be
due to failure of the normal lighting system itself, or in the extreme case, due to fire.

Because of this, emergency lighting must be powered independently, which switches on

automatically when required.

According to CIE Report no. 49, there are 3 categories of emergency lighting:-
1. escape lighting,
2. safety lighting, and
3. standby lighting.

K.F. Chan Page 1 of 14 Jan., 2008

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 UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

1) ESCAPE LIGHTING
Escape lighting is to enable the occupants to leave the interior safely in the event of an emergency.

If the normal building lighting fails and people are plunged into darkness there is a real possibility
of panic and accidents, which could be fatal. Under these conditions it is essential that the escape
lighting be switched on immediately. The escape lighting must provide sufficient light for people
to identify the escape route and to be able to move quickly along its route to outside, avoiding any
hazards on the way. Because the emergency lighting level is usually at a much lower illuminance
than that from the normal lighting, people take time to adapt. The escape route needs to be
relatively evenly lit. In particular, the lighting should be able
to indicate clearly and unambiguously the escape route, to enable any obstructions such as
changes of direction or level to be seen;
to ensure that all fire alarm call points, fire fighting and other safety equipment can be
quickly and clearly recognized;
to provide sufficient illumination in open area, such as open-plan offices, for occupants to
move quickly towards their designated escape route.

Illuminated direction signs are part of an escape route lighting system. These not only direct
people along the route but also identify the exits.

K.F. Chan Page 2 of 14 Jan., 2008

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 UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

Escape route indication

In times of emergency the escape route or routes should be clearly indicated. In some buildings
the escape routes may lead either towards normal exits or to emergency exits, which are indicated
by means of appropriate signs. Normal exit signs should be illuminated at all times when the
building is in use and should remain so when the normal supply fails. Emergency exit signs are
required to be illuminated in times of emergency though the general practice is to illuminate them
at all times.

An exit sign partially concealed within an alcove formed by a partition wall featuring a bulletin
board. These photos were taken in a jurisdiction that permits the placement of signs to the left of
doors.

Exit sign visible in smoke-free condition can be nearly obscured in smoke. Visibility is greatly
reduced by the glare from the overhead luminaire.
(Adopted from IESNA Lighting Handbook 9th Edition, Fig. 29-7 and 8)

Where direct sight of an exit is not possible, a directional sign or series of signs should be
provided which should be so placed that a person following them will be progressed towards the

K.F. Chan Page 3 of 14 Jan., 2008

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 UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

nearest suitable exit, which may be either the normal exit or an emergency exit. These directional
signs should be illuminated when the corresponding exit signs are illuminated.

HKFSD stipulates that if exit sign is not installed immediately above an exit or if an exit is not
clearly visible from normally occupied parts of a premises, an internally illuminated directional
sign to BS5499: Part 1 shall be provided.

Methods used for illumination of signs may be:-

1. Lamps external to the sign;
2. Lamps contained within the sign.

It is recommended that the method of illumination described under 2 above be used within any
area where the normal lighting may be deliberately dimmed or extinguished. On no account
should the lamps within the signs be dimmed.

In the event of failure of the supply to the normal lighting, escape route signs should receive the
power needed for illumination from the emergency power supply.

Self-luminous signs to BS5499: Part 2 are approved for use in HK, however, their use is not
permitted where legislation specifies illuminated exit signs.

Visual impact and legibility of signs

Visual impact and legibility are dependent upon size, viewing distance, contrast, luminance and
positioning.

Lettering height
CIE recommends that the size of the pictograph in an exit or emergency exit sign should be at
1
least of the maximum distance from which the sign is expected to be viewed.
300

CIBSE gives clear guidelines that sign of lettering height of 75mm should be used for viewing
distances up to 18m, and a lettering height of 125mm should be used for viewing distances more
than 18m but not exceeding 36m. For signs at viewing distances more than 36m, the lettering
height should be

Lettering height = 125 ×

(maximum viewing distance + 9)
45
where the lettering height is in mm, while the viewing distance is in m.

K.F. Chan Page 4 of 14 Jan., 2008

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 UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

Luminance & Contrast

The contrast between the illuminated face of a sign and the background against which a sign will
be viewed in times of emergency should be sufficient to make that sign easy to see but not so great
as to produce disability glare. The contrasts contained within the pictograph must be such as to
make its message instantly clear when illuminated during time of emergency. Effective contrast in
either case may be in brightness and/or in colour.

Luminance of Pictograph Minimum 15 cd/m2 CIE

2
Maximum 300 cd/m
Ratio 1:10
Luminance of white lettering (with filter About 30 cd/m2 CIBSE
2
removed), or the translucent white surround Minimum 2 cd/m
Maximum 80 cd/m2
Variation 6:1

In many cases luminaires may also bear the signs used for escape route indication. The restrictions
regarding the admissible range of luminances then only refer to the illuminated face of the sign;
the underside may be brighter.

CIBSE recommends that for signs having opaque surrounds to the letters, the lettering should
preferably be green. For signs having translucent white surrounds to the letters, the lettering
should have an opaque dark green finish.

The HK FSD requires words of Exit signs shall not be less than 125mm high. Chinese
characters shall have vertical strokes minimum 15mm wide and horizontal strokes
minimum 10mm thick. Contrasting color shall be green/white, green/black, or white/green.

In order to give the signs maximum visual impact they should be placed / perpendicular / to the
line of sight of persons using the escape.

K.F. Chan Page 5 of 14 Jan., 2008

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 UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

(Adopted from “Acing Emergency Lighting” by Rob Sumner, LD+A August 2005)

Escape route illumination

CIE recommends that the horizontal illuminance (E) at floor level on the centerline of any escape
route must at no point be less than 0.2 lux in order to enable occupants to avoid bumping into
obstructions. However, the higher the illuminance the more likely it is that the occupants will
move swiftly and confidently along the escape route so that in many cases a minimum of 1 lux
1
may be regarded as preferable. For safe movement a uniformity ratio E max / Emin = 40 : 1 ( )
0.025
along the centerline should not be exceeded.

The escape route illumination should come on within 15 seconds after failure of the normal
supply.

CIBSE further recommends that for any part of an auditorium or stadium, having a fixed seating
layout, the average horizontal illuminance, when measured on a plane 1m above floor / pitch-line,
should not be less than 0.1 lux over any seated area, with uniformity of Emin / Eav greater than

0.025 i.e.   1 .
 40 

K.F. Chan Page 6 of 14 Jan., 2008

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 UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

For any part of an auditorium or stadium where movable or stackable seating is used, the average
horizontal illuminance, when measured on an unobstructed floor, should be not less than 1.0 lux,
with a uniformity of Emin / Eav greater than 0.025

CIBSE also recommends that for any part of an auditorium or stadium, which is permanently
constructed as a series of steppings, the average horizontal illuminance when measured at the
nosing of each unobstructed step should be not less than 1.0 lux, with a uniformity of Emin / Eav
greater than 0.025.

The HK FSD requires 2/1/0.5 lux for staircase/night clubs, restaurants, dance halls/ cinemas,
theatres respectively with an activation time of emergency lighting within 5 seconds, and
emergency generator set be up in 15 seconds.

Escape lighting luminaires should be sited:

1. near each exit door
2. near each emergency exit door
3. at all point where it is necessary to emphasize the position of a potential hazard e.g.:
i. near each intersection of corridors,
ii. near each change of direction (other than on a staircase),
iii. near each staircase so that each flight of stairs receives direct light,
iv. near any other change of floor level,
v. outside each exit and emergency exit and close to it, leading to an agreed safe area.

Additional luminaires, as required, should be sited so as to ensure that the lighting throughout the
escape routes complies with the recommendations for minimum illuminance and illuminance
uniformity given above. Good illuminance uniformity is more easily achieved by using a greater
number of luminaires with lower light output than by employing a lesser number of more widely
spaced units with higher light output. The HKFSD stipulated a minimum of 2 fittings

Visibility of hazards
By itself, illuminance is not a sufficient criterion of visibility, since it refers only to the light
falling on a surface and not to the amount reflected back to the eye – a white object can be seen
with much less light than a dark one. It is recommended that all permanent potential obstructions
or hazards on an escape route be light in colour with contrasting surround. Such hazards include
the nosings of stair treads, barriers and other changes in floor level, and walls at right angles to the
direction of movement. In restricted areas, such as corridors, light-coloured decoration throughout

K.F. Chan Page 7 of 14 Jan., 2008

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 UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

is advantageous, and under emergency conditions easily seen vertical surfaces can assist
considerably.

Potential hazards and obstructions on an escape route should be light in colour with contrasting
surround.

Illumination of fire alarm call points and fire fighting equipment

Fire alarm call points and fire fighting equipment provided along escape routes should be
illuminated either by emergency lighting or by normal artificial or daylighting at all times while
the building is occupied.

K.F. Chan Page 8 of 14 Jan., 2008

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 UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

2) SAFETY LIGHTING
Where failure of the normal lighting could place people in danger, safety lighting is needed. This
may involve shutting down a hazardous process such as allowing the operator of a circular saw to
finish his job or a steel mill operator handling hot metal to shut down the process before they
leave. Another example is to provide emergency generator backed up explosion proof luminaires
in chemical plants or ammonia refrigeration plant rooms. Without safety lighting, further danger
could arise both to the operators and to other users of the building.

In some situations, such as hospitals, it may be necessary to provide safety lighting to allow
continuation of vital activities such as that in an operation theatre.

The illuminance on the working plane given by safety lighting should not be less than 5% of that
given on the same plane by the normal lighting, although for tasks of particular danger this should
be increased to 10%. In practice, the same luminaires are often used, powered by an alternative
supply. Safety lighting should be supplied within 0.5 second of the failure of the normal supply.

Note that although lifts usually do not form part of a designated escape route, in order to prevent
panic and enable help to be summoned, safety lighting should always be provided in lifts and
elevators.

In general, escape lighting is necessary in addition to safety lighting.

K.F. Chan Page 9 of 14 Jan., 2008

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 UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS6002 Lighting Engineering

3) STANDBY LIGHTING
Standby lighting is provided in buildings where it is decided that, for reasons other than safety,
work or activities should be continued in the event of failure of the normal lighting. Examples
are shops and certain industrial activities.

Standby lighting, to enable normal activities to proceed, should be of quantity and quality of the
normal lighting, though this is entirely voluntary. Standby lighting is often provided by some or
all of the normal luminaires. It is recommended, in any case, the illuminance should be not less
than 10% of that normally recommended for the activity concerned. The interruption time in
switching from normal to standby lighting is a matter of economic consideration. In general it
should not exceed 15 seconds, although shorter interruption times may be desirable, such as for
instance, 1.5 seconds in commercial applications to prevent shoplifting. Standby lightings are
frequently powered by back up supplies as well.

Note that while escape and safety lighting are enforced by law in most countries, provision of
standby lighting is usually voluntary.

K.F. Chan Page 10 of 14 Jan., 2008

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