This Standard incorporates Amendment No. 1 (September 2008) and Amendment No. 2 (August 2014). The changes required by the Amendments are indicated in the text by a marginal bar and amendment number against the clause, note, table, figure or part thereof affected.

The AS (/NZS) AS/NZS 2293 series comprises three Parts as follows:

AS(/NZS)
2293 Emergency escape lighting and exit signs for buildings
2293.1 Part 1: System design, installation and operation (this Standard)
2293.2 Part 2: Inspection and maintenance
2293.3 Part 3: Emergency escape luminaires and exit signs

The objective of the AS 2293 series of Standards is to provide all those associated with the design, construction, installation, certification and maintenance of all the individual components of an emergency escape lighting and exit signage scheme, and the scheme as a whole, with the requirements and guidelines to provide an installation that will ensure an acceptable level of illumination to the nominated areas for the safe evacuation of occupants from those areas in an emergency situation.

The objective of this Standard is to provide designers, installers and certifiers of emergency escape lighting and exit signage schemes with the relevant requirements and guidance for the provision of emergency escape lighting and exit signs to all designated spaces within a building in order to ensure an acceptable level of illumination for the safe evacuation of occupants from those spaces in an emergency situation.

The principal reason for this edition of the Standard is to specify installation requirements for exit signs employing internationally accepted pictographs instead of the previously used word ‘Exit’. Also, the basic terminology used to describe the subject matter of the Standard has been modified to be compatible with that used in IEC 60598-2-22 Luminaires, Part: 2-22: Particular requirements—Luminaires for emergency lighting. The terminology now used, and reflected in the new series title, recognizes the term emergency lighting as including four categories of lighting, each provided with an alternative energy supply, as follows:

(a) Emergency escape lighting.
(b) Illuminated emergency exit signs.
(c) High risk task area lighting.
(d) Standby lighting.

Of these categories, items (a) and (b) are the newly adopted terms that refer to the two types of emergency lighting that are required by law in Australia and comprise the scope of the AS 2293 series of Standards. Items (c) and (d) are types of lighting that have a limited history in this country and which are not covered by this series of Standards.

This Standard also includes the following significant changes from the previous edition:

(i) Replacement of word ‘exit’ with pictograph.
(ii) Inclusion of detailed restrictions on the use of arrows.
(iii) Revision of maximum viewing distances for exit signs.
(iv) As this Standard is not a joint Australian/New Zealand document, there is no content specific to New Zealand only.
(v) The adoption of terminology from IEC 60598-2-22.

Further to the content of this Standard, the committee will investigate new techniques, new or developing energy sources and illuminants (e.g. photoluminiscent materials), new approaches such as wayfinding systems and also the effects of smoke on emergency lighting, for possible inclusion in future editions of the AS 2293 series.

The committee invites input from interested parties in relation to any of these matters.

The terms ‘normative’ and ‘informative’ have been used in this Standard to define the application of the appendix to which they apply. A ‘normative’ appendix is an integral part of a Standard, whereas an ‘informative’ appendix is only for information and guidance.

This Standard distinguishes between documents cited as normative references and those referenced for information only. Those belonging to the former category are cited in the clause titled ‘Normative references’ and listed in Appendix A while those of the latter type are listed in the bibliography.

First published in Australia as part of AS 2293.1-1979. Second edition 1983. Third edition 1987. First published in New Zealand as part of NZS 6742:1971. AS 2293.1-1987 and NZS 6742:1971 jointly revised and designated in part as AS/NZS 2293.1:1995. Second edition 1998. Revised, de-jointed and re-designated as AS 2293.1-2005.