It's not just the emergency exit routes that need to be considered during the design and installation of an emergency lighting system. High risk task areas are an important part of some projects, especially within industrial applications.

In many emergency situations members of the public and any staff present will usually be able to stop what they are doing and follow routes through to exit the building. For workers located in a high risk task area, this isn't always possible.

A high risk task area can be identified when a worker is using machinery, dangerous chemicals or sharp objects, positioned within a hazardous environment or required to enable a shutdown procedure before exiting the building. These types of work-spaces would need to be illuminated independently for the employees to exit safely.


What does legislation state regarding Emergency Lighting and High Risk Task Areas?

British Standard 5266-1:2016 states that if the power fails within the location of any hazard, emergency lighting must activate within 0.5 seconds and at a minimum of 10% of the lighting level normally supplied to the area. The minimum emergency light level should be no less than 15 Lux, however 10% of any high risk area should naturally be higher than this anyway.

Without this lighting there is potential risk of injury or loss of life cause by the combination of sudden darkness and a hazardous environment.

During an initial emergency lighting consultation, we remain on hand to ensure that emergency lighting is placed where needed for legislation to be met. We can help to identify whether high risk task area lighting is required and recommend the best product for purpose.

Get in touch with BLE Lighting to learn more.