An Electrician’s Role In Emergency Lighting
Some emergency lights even come with an Energy Star rating!
As important as emergency lighting is, once it’s installed, most people don’t give it a second thought. There is a trust and assumption that they’ll come on when necessary. And while they don’t need to be a constant concern, it is important that they are properly serviced and maintained. The best way to maintain the lights is to have a local and certified electrician involved from the installation point. Licensed electricians are qualified to help maintain a safe and up-to-code emergency lighting system.
Installation
Some emergency lights even come with an Energy Star rating!
Despite the growing trend and prevalence of DIY options, it’s still the best to contract a licensed electrician. When it comes time to do the installation of a new emergency lighting system it is far better to be safe than have a failure in a potential catastrophe. Even if it’s just one new box, the electrician will be able to do it safely, and efficiently.
Some emergency lights are wired into the buildings main circuits, and then others are set up on automatic batteries that will turn on when the power is out in the building.
Licensed electricians will know how to set it up, and be well versed in the requirements for OSHA regulations, and how to set it up to best meet the requirements by law, and make sure that the building is as safe as it possibly can be.
Testing
OSHA is very severe about Emergency lighting systems. Having inadequate light systems on an inspection comes with a $7,000 fee for the first offense, and has fines upwards of $70,000 for every consecutive inspection failure. That’s partly why it’s important to have the lights tested and inspected outside of OSHA regulations regularly. Have a licensed electrician come in once a month and test the battery, bulbs, and general functionality and save the headaches with OSHA.
Make sure each of these inspections and tests are documented, as well as the results. This will help reduce the risk of liability in the event OSHA finds a failure, or an emergency happens and something doesn’t go quite right. It doesn’t take them long to identify potential problems and either resolve them or leave careful instructions on how.
You never think one of these little lights could save a person’s life, and hope to never find out, but it’s nice to be prepared.
Servicing and Repair
Sometimes lights need fixing, bulbs burn out, alarms and generators go haywire. And the average user isn’t equipped to deal with that sort of thing, so having a certified electrician come check out a malfunctioning system will get better results faster.
If a mouse or other pests damage the wires the emergency lighting can themselves become a hazard. This is another reason to have them inspected and serviced regularly. Certified electricians know the fastest way to fix the problem and get the system back up to OSHA regulations.
Zimmerman Electric is here to serve your residential and commercial electrical needs throughout the Phoenix Valley metro area. Call us today if you need electrical work performed 602-497-3365.
