In a recent Q&A on the FacilityCare website, consultant Brad Keyes answered a question about  egress lighting and battery powered emergency lights.

Q: The egress lighting in our facility is connected to our generator through the life safety circuit and the light fixtures have no batteries. The task lighting in our operating rooms, the generator room and the transfer switch room do have battery powered emergency lights. Is task lighting in the operating room considered egress lighting? Does the monthly testing requirement for egress lighting still apply? Does the Life Safety Code (LSC) have an exception for egress lighting that is connected to the emergency generator?

A: To start, the LSC says all required emergency lighting systems are to be tested at 30-day intervals for not less than 30 seconds (see section 7.9.3 of the 2000 LSC). In addition, this section says every required battery-powered emergency lighting system must be tested annually for 90 minutes. Egress lighting without battery back-up that is connected to the life safety branch of the EESS emergency power circuits receives the monthly test when the generators are load tested and the ATS are transferred on a monthly basis. Since the EESS generator system is not a battery back-up system, then it does not have to have a 90-minute annual test.

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