Summary of requirements
Emergency lighting is required throughout the path of egress and must operate for a minimum of 90 minutes. (See NFPA® 101® Life Safety Code®.)
Stairs, aisles, corridors, ramps, escalators and passageways leading to safety must be continuously illuminated for a minimum of 90 minutes. Illumination times for Bodine fluorescent emergency ballasts, emergency LED drivers and emergency lighting inverters meet or exceed theNational Electrical Code®, Life Safety Code®and UL 90-minute requirements. For codes requiring longer illumination times, Bodine offers modelswith two- and four-hourruntimes.
Emergency lighting transfer must be automatic.
Transfer of emergency lighting must be automatic (within 10 seconds) of loss of the normal lighting supply power. Bodine fluorescent emergency ballasts, emergency LED drivers and emergency lighting inverters provide instant backup lighting when the normal supply of power fails.
Emergency lighting must provide an average of 1 footcandle initial illumination.
Emergency lighting facilities must provide initial illumination that is no less than an average of 1 footcandle (10.8 lux) and a minimum at any point of 0.1 footcandle (1.1 lux) measured along the path of egress at floor level. A maximum-to-minimum illumination uniformity ratio of 40 to 1 shall not be exceeded to minimize dark-to-bright spots. Proper placementofBodine products will help ensure code compliance with regard to footcandle illumination.
Changes in direction must be clearly marked.
Changes in direction or routes that are not immediately apparent must be clearly marked. Specifying Bodine products in addition to other unit equipment helps ensure an adequate level of safety results.
UL product testing & code compliance
Bodine fluorescent emergency ballasts, emergency LED drivers, emergency lighting inverters and other products are tested by Underwriters Laboratories in accordance with the UL standards. These standards vary by product type but is primarily UL 924, “Emergency Lighting and Power Equipment”. Products are either:
UL Listed
UL Listed products for factory or field installation. The majority of Bodine products, of all types, carry the UL Listing and are ideal for field installation in order to retrofit existing luminaires/systems into code-complaint emergency lighting.
UL Recognized
UL Recognized products are suitable for factory installation only. Certain Bodine products are optimized for the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and must be originally installed in the factory. However, replacing a UL Recognized product in the field, this is allowed so long as the installation follows the OEM’s original method.
