• Illuminated exit signs are one example of emergency lighting.exit image by Joseph Pierce from Fotolia.com
  
  "In case of emergency, don't panic" -- surely you've heard these words before. However, if suddenly you needed to evacuate a building and all the lights snapped off, maintaining your composure would most likely be difficult. Building codes and regulations therefore require that emergency equipment include additional light sources, should an emergency situation shut off the building's main power supply. Consult with local authorities to determine which code applies in your area.
  
  

NFPA Life Safety Code

• The National Fire Protection Association outlines necessary emergency lighting requirements in the Life Safety Code. In section 7.8.1.3, it requires that all buildings open to the public have illumination around exits and along exit access routes. This illumination must have an intensity of at least 1 footcandle, measured at the floor. One footcandle represents the intensity of light that a single lumen would cast, if spread evenly across one square foot. The Life Safety Code also requires, per section 7.9.2.1, that the emergency lighting system have power to run continuously for 1-1/2 hours. Furthermore, the average initial illumination of 1 footcandle cannot drop to 0.1 footcandles at any point along the exit path. At the end of the 1 1/2-hour period, the illumination level must remain at least 0.6 footcandles on average, and no less than 0.06 footcandles at any single point.
  
  

International Building Code

• The International Building Code, or IBC, also regulates emergency illumination, with requirements that mirror the NFPA's Life Safety Code. It also requires at least 1 footcandle of illumination at floor level along all exit routes, as specified in section 1006.2. In section 1006.4, the International Building Code confirms that the initial illumination must be at least 1 footcandle on average and 0.1 footcandles at any given point, always measured at floor level.
  
  

Uniform Building Code

• If you live within an area that follows the Uniform Building Code, or UBC, expect a slight variation from the Life Safety Code or the International Building Code. In section 1003.2.9.1, the Uniform Building Code stipulates that exit routes be illuminated at all times with a light intensity of no less than 1 footcandle at floor level. Therefore, an emergency lighting system that varies dramatically in intensity, averaging 1 footcandle overall, would comply with the Life Safety Code or IBC, but not the UBC.
  
  

OSHA Regulations

• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, regulates the lighting along exit routes in any places of business. OSHA guidelines dictate that all exit routes have adequate lighting to allow employees with normal vision to clearly see along the route. Exit signs must indicate all exit routes. Likewise, any doors that may appear to lead to exits, but do not, must have signs reading "Not An Exit" clearly indicated. All of these exit signs must be illuminated at an intensity of at least 5 footcandles at all times. Self-luminous signs must measure at least .06 footlamberts.