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Making your emergency lighting look better

Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, March 1, 2019

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Healthcare Life Safety Compliance.

New LED and photoluminescent options make it easier and cheaper to install aesthetically pleasing lighting

Let’s face it: Emergency lighting in the healthcare facility is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s a much-needed lifesaving feature, not to mention required by the accreditation agencies that keep watch over your operations. On the other hand, emergency exit signs that hang off the facades of your otherwise well-designed spaces aren’t exactly pretty. Add to that bulky battery packs, electrical cords, and lighting fixtures that don’t blend in with the decor, and you can be left with an uninviting visual experience for your visitors and patients.

Of course, hospital engineers aren’t as concerned with aesthetics, as keeping your facility up to code is the biggest priority. But there are some companies out there that say they provide “single-source” lighting options to help facilities stay in compliance with accreditors while being more architecturally pleasing.
For electrical engineers responsible for designing a building’s emergency lighting system, the process of selecting and integrating the various component parts, from lights to exit signs, is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. After all, there are myriad combinations and approaches that will sufficiently provide 1 foot-candle of illumination along the path of egress specified by the NFPA.

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Healthcare Life Safety Compliance.

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