Emergency lighting is required in most commercial premises in Ireland, whether it be a business or educational institution. In fact, they can get in major trouble during building maintenance inspections if the inspector finds they do not have emergency lighting installed or properly working. The fine can be a fairly steep amount, possibly more than the emergency lights would have cost in the beginning.

The lighting needs to be setup to direct people to the nearest exit in the event of an emergency. Once smoke begins to fill the air, people who know their way around the office or institution like the back of their hand, may not be able to see but a few steps in front of them. This can create a huge safety issue, as the organizations that are required to have this lighting will typically have 50 or more people scrambling towards the door for their life. If they cannot see, there are going to be some serious injuries as they will be running into each other at full speed from several different directions.

Emergency lights can be as simple as an exit sign with two bright lights on each side. This is typically what people see at businesses. The lights are bright enough to show clearly through smoke, so if people keep tracing the light's path they will find the exit. The bright red exit sign will also show through smoke, giving people another source to follow.

New emergency lighting styles are available for commercial premises that come in different configurations than the traditional red exit with dual lights sign. Light emitting diode, better known as LED signs are now available. The lights are used in a lot of different things, including brake lights on automobiles. They are well known for a long lifespan as they can self charge. This would save the business; that is required to have the lighting a fair amount of money. Other lighting technologies that have increased are waterproof signs. These are designed for locations where they may become wet. Everyone knows that electrical things and water do not mix well. These signs feature a battery backup, so if water does short circuit the sign people will still be able to find their way to the nearest door.

Lighting is a requirement once a building reaches a certain size or is deemed to host a large number of people. The number of signs needed would vary depending on the size and shape of the building. If the building has several floors, and people will need to take the stairs the exit signs will need to point to the direction of each stair case as well as how to get to the next. If the building is more of a several twist and turn, one floor configuration they will simply need enough exit signs to point to the direction of each turn on the quickest route out of the building. These signs are relatively inexpensive to purchase and are a way for the place to maintain their level of safety. The building maintenance inspectors will be a lot happier to see that lights are installed and in their proper location.