Lighting Council Australia has issued an urgent product warning. Fast fading exit signage (also known as photoluminescent signage) is not fit for purpose due to their extremely poor visibility in a darkened space during an emergency.
Other critical developments included updates on emergency lighting, solar lighting, lamp holders, child-appealing luminaires, lighting chains, and the next edition of the international standard for luminaires.
🎥 Check out our time-lapse video for the full comparison! Link: https://t.co/OEObfmExca
🚨 The studies don’t lie – photoluminescent exit signs, with a permitted luminance in the NCC of only 0.03cd/m2, are not safe. 🚨
We've conducted a visual comparison of photoluminescent and battery backup exit signs. The results are concerning:
📉 “Glow in the dark” photoluminescent signs: Faded to 10% brightness in just 15 minutes
⚡ Battery backup: Maintained 100% brightness for 90+ minutes
Over the last 2 days we attended the Valuing Darkness Symposium event hosted in Melbourne by the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance which brought together experts in environmental science, urban planning, lighting designers and manufacturers to discuss the importance of darkness.
We heard from over 35 individual speakers presenting on several topics which, while all discussing their own studies and projects, centered around the critical issue of light pollution and how Australasian region can negate the impacts of it upon our local flora and fauna.
There have been four significant studies around the world between 1990 and 2012 that have concluded the required luminance of exit signs needs to be above 8 cd/m2 to be clearly seen in an emergency exit situation.
The alterative to installing an emergency light is to produce a new compliant emergency lighting design plan as part of a development application/building permit process in some states.
Don’t get caught out on compliance!
A Dual Function Battery Exit Sign also has an emergency light built in which shines light on the floor to assist you quickly and safely exit in an emergency.
Be careful if you replace one of these dual function exit and emergency lights with a single purpose Photoluminescent exit sign. Photoluminescent exit signs do not include an emergency light so you will need to install an additional emergency light to remain compliant.
💡Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed and protect your business.
📅 Date: Thursday, 27 March 2025
🕒 Time: 1:00 PM AEDT
🌐 Location: Online Webinar via Microsoft Teams
👉 Register now to secure your spot! Link to register:https://t.co/352sFk1xGk
In 2014, Europe rejected fast fading photoluminescent exit signs, concluding they do not provide adequate safety and cannot be used as an alternative to dual function battery exit signs.
Meanwhile, Australia chose to allow them—but why?
If these fast fading signs aren’t good enough for Europe, why are they allowed in Australia? It’s time to put safety first and stick with, battery-backed exit signage.
🔦 The safer technology relied on globally for 50 years are dual function battery exit signs.
✅ Maintains consistent visibility during an outage. ✅ Fully compliant with international safety standards. ✅ Ensures clear, unfailing illumination in life-or-death situations.
🔴 They need constant exposure to strong lighting to charge properly—something not guaranteed in all buildings.
🔴 They fail to meet key international safety standards for emergency lighting.