Emergency lighting must provide immediate orientation in an emergency situation - not only directly at the exit, but along the entire escape route. Three points are particularly decisive for planning: the use of the building, the relevant standards, and the correct layout of the zones. This planning guide compactly summarizes the most important basic principles so that you can assess requirements faster and avoid typical mistakes. The current status of standards, the fire safety concept, and the technical planning by qualified electrical or fire safety specialists always remain decisive. You can find a compact overview of standards, types, and requirements in Everything about emergency lighting: What you need to know.
When emergency lighting is required
Emergency lighting becomes relevant as soon as the failure of the general lighting can endanger people or hinder a safe evacuation.Typical examples include workplaces, public buildings, accommodation facilities, retail spaces, assembly locations, schools, healthcare institutions, technical rooms, and stairwells. Large open spaces or workspaces with elevated risks often require a separate assessment.
Whether and to what extent an installation is necessary does not follow from a single document, but from the interplay of workplace legislation, building regulations, codes for special buildings, the fire safety concept, and technical standards. For preliminary planning, this means: first determine the use and risk profile, then determine the positions of fixtures and escape route signage.
Emergency lighting, safety lighting, and escape route signage
In practice, these terms are often used interchangeably, though technically the classification is more precise. Emergency lighting is the umbrella term for lighting that continues to function when the normal power supply fails. Safety lighting is the part of this that enables people to leave an area safely or to safely terminate dangerous activities. Escape route indication lighting ensures that exits and important safety and relief facilities remain visible.
| Sub-area | Purpose | Typical locations |
|---|---|---|
| Escape route lighting | Safe orientation to the exit | Corridors, stairs, exits, changes of direction |
| Anti-panic lighting | Preventing accidents and panic in open spaces | Foyers, halls, retail spaces, larger areas |
| Lighting for high-risk areas | Safe shutdown and evacuation of a workstation | Machine zones, laboratories, technical workstations |
| Escape route signage lighting | Making exits and safety equipment visible | Emergency exits, first aid stations, fire-fighting equipment |
Which regulations and standards are relevant
For projects in Germany, multiple sets of regulations are usually relevant simultaneously.Most frequently mentioned are DIN EN 1838 for lighting requirements, DIN EN 50172 and DIN VDE 0108-100 for the planning, installation, operation, and inspection of emergency lighting systems, and ASR A3.4/7 for workplaces. In addition to these, there are the Workplace Ordinance (Arbeitsstättenverordnung), state building regulations, provisions for special buildings, and object-specific fire safety requirements.
Important standard values that are often tested first in the preliminary planning include:
- Escape routes: generally a minimum of 1 lx on the centerline
- Open areas: generally a minimum of 0.5 lx
- High-risk areas: as a rule, significantly higher requirements, often at least 15 lx and at least 10 percent of the required illuminance of the work area
- Emergency exit signs: size and placement must match the viewing distance and line of sight
These values serve as a practical guideline, but do not replace an object-specific assessment. The current version of the standards and the specific use of the building are always decisive.
How to approach the planning
1.Determine use and legal framework
At the very beginning, it must be clear whether it concerns a workplace, a special building, a publicly accessible space, or areas with special risks. This determines which requirements apply and whether a fire safety concept or government regulations must also be taken into account. Without this classification, there is a risk that the installation will work technically, but will not be planned in accordance with standards.
2. Mark escape routes and critical zones on the floor plan
In the next step, escape and rescue routes are accurately included in the plan. These include exits, stairs, intersections, changes of direction, level differences, assembly points, and open spaces where people need orientation in the event of a power outage. In addition, zones with increased risk, such as machine workstations, technical rooms, or laboratory zones, must be marked separately.
3.Properly positioning emergency exit signs and fixtures
Emergency exit signsdo not only belong at the final exit. They must make the route leading to it completely recognizable. Particularly important are doors along the escape route, intersections, stairs, first aid stations, fire alarms, and fire extinguishing equipment. The safety fixtures themselves are placed in such a way that the required illuminance levels along the route and in critical zones are achieved. Subsequent built-in elements such as shelving units, partitions, or doors must already be taken into account during the planning phase.
4. Choosing system technology
Now it is determined whether the installation will be set up with self-contained battery fixtures or via a central battery or central power supply. Smaller projects or retrofit projects often work with self-contained battery solutions, while larger buildings tend to use central systems.In addition, it must be determined whether escape route signage and emergency lighting operate in maintained or non-maintained mode. This choice affects maintenance, monitoring, cabling, and future operating costs. Practical selection guide:Single-battery or central battery systems?
5. Determine operating duration and switching behavior
The required autonomy time depends on the use, regulations, and safety concept. Equally important is the question of how quickly the system must activate after a power failure. Areas with special risks usually have stricter response times than normal escape routes. These points should not be decided upon during product selection, but rather during preliminary planning.
6. Plan for inspection, maintenance, and documentation
Emergency lighting is not a one-time project.Already during the planning stage, consideration must be given to inspection options, accessibility, functional checks, and documentation requirements. These include, among other things, the wiring diagram, the fixture list, inspection reports, maintenance intervals, and clear labelling of the components. Anyone who looks at this aspect too late runs the risk of unnecessary effort during operation later on.
Avoiding typical planning errors
- Marking only the exit, but not the complete escape route
- Overlooking open spaces or workstations with special risks
- Placing escape route signs so that lines of sight are blocked by doors, racking, or built-in elements
- Determining autonomy time and operating mode too late
- Considering maintenance, inspectability, and documentation only after installation
- Generally adopting standard values without checking the actual use of the building
Pre-planning checklist
- Building use and potential regulations for special buildings established
- Escape and rescue routes fully marked on the floor plan
- Open spaces and workstations with special risks recorded separately
- Positions for escape route signs, stairs, changes of direction, and exits coordinated
- System choice made: self-contained battery or central power supply
- Maintained or non-maintained mode defined
- Required operating time and response times defined
- Maintenance, inspection, and documentation concept included
- Product selection started only after technical assessment
If you want to choose suitable escape route luminaires, emergency luminaires, or accessories for a new or replacement project, MeinLEDis happy to assist you with product selection and general project inquiries.For business customers, project support, dedicated contact persons, and purchasing on account are also available. However, the final technical planning, installation, and delivery of emergency lighting must always be carried out by qualified specialist companies.
Frequently asked questions about emergency lighting
Which regulations apply to emergency lighting?
In Germany, DIN EN 1838, DIN EN 50172, DIN VDE 0108-100, ASR A3.4/7, and the relevant building regulations and regulations for special buildings are generally decisive. Which specific sets of rules apply depends on the use of the building, the operator, and the fire safety concept.
How do I plan an emergency lighting system?
First, you define the use and the legal framework.Next, you mark escape routes, open areas and risk zones on the floor plan, determine the position of escape route signs and luminaires, choose the system technology and take operating time, inspection and maintenance into account right from the initial planning phase.
What is the difference between emergency lighting and safety lighting?
Emergency lighting is the overarching term for lighting during a power outage. Safety lighting is the part of the emergency lighting intended for safely leaving a room or safely completing critical activities. Escape route sign lighting, in turn, is a specific component for marking exits and safety facilities.
What DIN requirements apply to safety lighting?
Typical requirements relate to illuminance, uniformity, response time, operating time and the visibility of escape route signs.Often cited guideline values are 1 lx on escape routes and 0.5 lx in open areas. Higher requirements apply in high-risk zones.
Individual battery or central battery - which is better?
That depends on the project. Luminaires with individual batteries are often suitable for smaller installations or installations that will be expanded later. Central systems are usually best suited for larger buildings with many luminaires and a structured maintenance concept. The choice must be made based on the usage profile, inspection concept, and installation effort.
How long must emergency lighting remain operational?
The required operating time is building-specific and depends on the usage, standards, and fire safety concept. There is no universal standard duration for every building.Therefore, for planning purposes, it is important to determine the required autonomy time at an early stage and incorporate it into the product selection.
Who is allowed to plan and inspect emergency lighting?
Professional planning, installation, inspection, and commissioning should be entrusted to qualified electrical specialists and, where necessary, specialized designers or fire safety consultants. Especially with standards-compliant installations, decisions should not be based solely on the product datasheet.
