Escape routes and signs
Exits, corridors, stairs, changes of direction and level, route intersections and the route to a place of safety. We assess sign visibility, obstructions, door arrangements and the evacuation strategy.
DATPOL / LIFE SAFETY & INDUSTRY
Emergency, escape
and Ex lighting.
A clear route. A supervised system. Documented performance.
Wired and wireless monitoring, central batteries, design, installation, testing and maintenance for sites in Poland.
Discuss your installation↗ESCAPE ROUTE
01LUMINAIRESLight where needed
02SUPERVISIONWired / wireless
03POWERLocal / central
ExHAZARDOUS AREASSelection for the zone
Concept only — the system follows the site design.
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Scope and applications
We define the scope, select the system, install and upgrade emergency lighting, escape lighting and lighting for potentially explosive atmospheres. Electrical works, documentation, measurements and ongoing maintenance form one coordinated service. The starting point is the building’s use and risk assessment.
Open areas and specific locations
Halls, open areas, firefighting equipment, first-aid points and locations requiring additional illumination. High-risk task areas are assessed separately where a hazardous activity must be brought safely to an end.
Standby lighting
Lighting for continuing specified activities after a supply failure. Performance follows the process and risk assessment; supplying lamps from a UPS does not by itself demonstrate compliance with escape-lighting requirements.
Industrial and public premises
Factories, warehouses, logistics centres, hotels, healthcare facilities, schools, public offices, shopping centres, garages and infrastructure sites. The required scope is established for each building, its use and its documentation.
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Choosing a system
A monitoring panel supervises the installation. A central battery supplies energy during a power failure. These are distinct functions. Self-contained luminaires can use wireless or wired monitoring; centrally supplied systems can also monitor individual luminaires.
| Solution | Benefits | Design checks |
|---|---|---|
| Self-contained luminaires with automatic testing | Local emergency power and local test-result indication. | Access to each luminaire, recording results and replacing batteries. |
| Wireless central monitoring | Combined status and testing without a separate communications bus. | Radio coverage, interference, fire compartments and manufacturer requirements; a power supply is still required. |
| Wired central monitoring | Addressing, fault location, schedules and reports from a panel. | Topology, compatibility, line lengths, segregation and behaviour following bus failure. |
| Central battery / CPS | A shared safety power source and battery maintenance at a defined location. | Load calculation, duration, protection, cable routes, circuit resilience and room conditions. |
We compare whole-life costs: installation, wiring, licences, maintenance access, testing, battery replacement and expansion. A large number of luminaires or difficult access can favour central monitoring, but does not automatically mandate a particular system.
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Wireless monitoring
Radio-equipped luminaires communicate with the panel or gateway of the selected system. Depending on the product, functions can include addressing, grouping by floor and zone, functional tests, duration tests, lamp and battery faults, and communications-loss indications.
- Upgrades without a separate bus: useful where communications cabling would disrupt finishes or require extended closures.
- Coverage assessment: floors, metal racking, fire-compartment walls and basements can restrict radio communication. Gateway and repeater selection follows the site survey and manufacturer documentation.
- Meaningful alarms: a lost connection is shown as unavailable status, never as evidence that the luminaire is healthy.
- Local operation: failure of the Internet or web interface must not prevent the required emergency-lighting function.
“Wireless” refers to supervision. It does not mean wireless charging or unrestricted use of domestic Wi-Fi modules for a safety function.
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Wired monitoring
A central panel communicates with luminaires over a wired bus compatible with the selected system. In new buildings, routes and addressing can be planned alongside the electrical installation. For upgrades, we assess whether existing cables and luminaires are suitable for reuse.
The scope can include locating luminaires on plans, test schedules, fault logs, replacement history and report exports. We specify line segmentation, device limits, cable routing and separation from interfering circuits. A DALI interface alone does not establish compliance of the complete emergency-lighting installation.
Acceptance testing also considers loss of communication and failure of a local normal-lighting circuit. The system must address the actual loss of lighting in the affected area, rather than only a failure of the entire building supply.
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Central battery systems
A central safety power supply system (CPS) feeds compatible luminaires from a shared battery assembly. This can simplify battery access and reduce the number of batteries distributed across high-level luminaires. The source, distribution and cable routes require coordinated design.
- Emergency-mode power calculations, circuit loads, required duration and allowance for battery ageing and temperature.
- Protection coordination and circuit division to limit the consequences of a single fault; compatible luminaires and operating modes.
- Battery location: temperature, access, ventilation appropriate to the technology, protection and safe maintenance.
- Cable routes, supports, penetrations and the required supply continuity specified by the fire-safety design.
- Fault indication, charging supervision, supply-failure tests, measurements and a battery replacement plan.
The power supply must be suitable for the safety function. Connecting an ordinary office UPS or generator does not automatically create an equivalent emergency-lighting system. Transfer time and operation while the generator starts must also be assessed.
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Ex / ATEX lighting
In a potentially explosive atmosphere, a luminaire must not become an ignition source. Relevant locations can include designated areas involving solvents, gases, fuels, biogas, wood dust or grain dust. An industry classification alone does not make the entire site an Ex zone.
Start with area classification
We review the explosion protection document, hazard assessment, substances and zone boundaries: 0, 1 and 2 for gases, and 20, 21 and 22 for dusts. Selection relies on approved input data, not simply the description “industrial hall”.
Select a complete solution
Checks cover equipment group and category, equipment protection level (EPL), type of Ex protection, gas or dust group, temperature class or maximum surface temperature, ambient range and special conditions marked “X”.
Cables, glands and installation
Protection must be maintained throughout the installation: glands, stopping plugs, junction boxes, connections, earthing and fixings. We check conformity documentation and the assessment documents required for the equipment category and construction.
Emergency lighting in Ex areas
Explosion protection and escape-lighting performance must both be satisfied. Emergency modules and batteries must be permitted within the particular luminaire configuration; an arbitrary modification can invalidate its protection conditions.
IP65 or IP66 does not mean Ex. Protection against water and dust ingress does not replace protection against ignition. Maintenance considers dust deposits, temperature, corrosion, seals and the preservation of protective properties following repair.
Polish legal bases: the regulation of 8 July 2010 on workplaces with potentially explosive atmospheres and the regulation of 6 June 2016 on equipment and protective systems. Employer responsibilities and product conformity assessment are separate matters; CE marking does not replace assessment of the installation location.
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Polish regulations and responsibilities
Escape lighting is a life-safety installation and a fire-protection device under § 2(1)(9) of the Polish Ministry of the Interior regulation of 7 June 2010. Works require an agreed design basis, responsibilities and acceptance procedure.
Design approval — § 3(1)
Fire-protection devices must be installed in accordance with a design approved by an authorised fire-protection expert. Bringing them into use requires appropriate tests confirming correct operation.
Maintenance — § 3(2)–(3)
Technical inspections and maintenance follow the relevant standards, technical documentation and manufacturer instructions. Intervals follow the manufacturer’s instructions, but inspections and maintenance must take place at least annually. Shorter required testing cycles cannot be replaced by one annual inspection.
Evacuation conditions — § 15
Evacuation arrangements include appropriate exits and routes, signs and emergency lighting where required. Changes to room layouts, racking or occupancy may require reassessment of the installation.
Explosion hazard assessment — § 37
Sites where processes or stored materials can create explosive mixtures require an explosion hazard assessment. This informs equipment selection; it is not an exercise to complete after purchasing luminaires.
Source: Polish Journal of Laws 2023, item 822 — consolidated regulation, amended by 2024, item 1716 and 2026, item 1276. These amendments do not remove the escape-lighting duties described above.
Building regulations and project dates: why check the design basis?
Sources checked on 8 October 2026. ELI marks the building technical conditions, Journal of Laws 2022, item 1225, as deemed repealed from 21 September 2026. We therefore do not present the former § 181 as an unconditionally current basis for every new project. Each building requires confirmation of applicable rules, transitional provisions and its original design documentation. Historical building categories and duration requirements do not replace that assessment. The recorded status does not mean existing fire-protection systems may be switched off or left unmaintained.
This is a British English version of our offer for projects in Poland. References describe Polish requirements and are not a statement of compliance with UK legislation.
Luminaire documentation and CNBOP-PIB approvals
We check documentation for the precise luminaire model and variant, declarations of conformity and the required approval for use. Emergency luminaires are listed in group 13.2 of the product approval system. Document number, scope and status are checked against the CNBOP-PIB registers. A document covering a module or a similar luminaire does not automatically approve another configuration. Product approval does not replace design approval or installation acceptance.
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Standards and design parameters
Documentation identifies the editions, scope and basis for applying standards. A standard is not the same as a regulation. A newer PKN edition does not automatically require replacement of every existing installation; legislation, the design and operating conditions must be considered.
- PN-EN 1838:2025-05 — emergency-lighting performance requirements.
- PN-EN 50172:2025-04 — emergency escape-lighting systems.
- PN-EN 50171:2022-10, with applicable corrections including AC:2024-11 — central safety power supply systems.
- PN-EN IEC 60079-14:2025-06 — Ex installation design, selection, erection and initial inspection.
- Relevant parts of PN-EN IEC 60598, PN-EN 62034, PN-EN IEC 60079 and PN-EN ISO 7010 — luminaires, automatic testing, Ex classification and maintenance, and safety signs; editions are selected for the design scope.
Calculations address illuminance and uniformity, glare, response time, duration, sign visibility, mounting heights and environmental conditions. Emergency-mode light output must be checked: the normal-mode LED wattage is insufficient. The design also defines measurement plans and acceptance criteria.
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Testing and handover
Acceptance verifies the complete installation. We agree safe test periods, isolation arrangements and protection for occupants during tests and subsequent battery recharge.
- Installation checks: positions, identification, supplies, addressing and conformity with the design.
- Functional tests: normal-supply failure, local circuit response, indication and fault identification.
- Duration testing: operation for the specified period, lamp and battery condition, and restoration of readiness.
- Photometric measurements: measurement locations and conditions, the correct reference plane and comparison with design criteria.
- Documentation: as-built drawings, luminaire and circuit schedules, test records, product documents, instructions and a register of faults and remedial works.
- Operator handover: training, panel permissions, testing schedules, an operational logbook and fault-reporting procedures.
A successful automatic test does not prove adequate illuminance on the escape route. A luminaire can function electrically while obstructed, dirty, misdirected or incorrectly positioned.
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Maintenance and upgrades
A maintenance plan includes scheduled checks, panel-report reviews, fault repairs, cleaning, battery and lamp replacement, and documentation updates after building changes. Dates and responsibilities are recorded; a report without remedial action does not restore a faulty installation.
For upgrades, we assess remaining service life, spare-part availability, compatibility with the panel and staged delivery. Replacement selection considers optical distribution and emergency light output, not just enclosure dimensions.
BMS or technical-monitoring integration is limited to an agreed scope: statuses, faults and reports. Remote access requires permissions and network protection. The safety function remains within the system designed to provide it, independently of a web dashboard.
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Preparing a quotation
Send the site location, use and floor area, plans showing escape routes, floor count, existing luminaires and panels, and available inspection records. Ex projects also require substance information, area classification and explosion protection documentation.
We establish whether you need a survey, new design, upgrade, measurements or ongoing maintenance. The quotation separates equipment, installation, approvals, commissioning, testing and maintenance. Work is coordinated from Malbork for Pomerania and other agreed locations in Poland.
Questions and answers
Does every installation need a central monitoring panel?
No. The solution follows the building requirements, design and maintenance arrangements. A panel simplifies supervision of a large system, but its presence alone does not demonstrate compliance.
Does wireless monitoring replace the luminaire supply?
No. Radio carries information and test commands. Each luminaire still requires a suitable supply and a source of energy during a failure.
Is a central battery the same as a test panel?
No. A central battery powers luminaires during a failure; a test panel supervises their condition. One system can combine both functions.
Is one test a year enough?
Not necessarily. At least annual inspection and maintenance do not remove shorter testing cycles required by instructions, standards adopted for the design and operating conditions.
Must all luminaires operate for three hours?
That duration must not be assumed for every building. It follows applicable requirements and the design; battery selection must account for ambient conditions and ageing.
Is a sealed luminaire suitable for an Ex zone?
Ingress protection alone is insufficient. Appropriate explosion-protection characteristics and documentation must match the conditions of the designated zone.
FROM SURVEY TO MAINTENANCE