PE-12 Emergency Lighting

Guidance: draftPolicy clause: draftWhat these mean

Baselines	Implementation level	Enhancements
Low, Moderate, High	Organization	1 (0 in a baseline)

Related controls: CP-2, CP-7

Control statement

Employ and maintain automatic emergency lighting for the system that activates in the event of a power outage or disruption and that covers emergency exits and evacuation routes within the facility.

NIST discussion

The provision of emergency lighting applies primarily to organizational facilities that contain concentrations of system resources, including data centers, server rooms, and mainframe computer rooms. Emergency lighting provisions for the system are described in the contingency plan for the organization. If emergency lighting for the system fails or cannot be provided, organizations consider alternate processing sites for power-related contingencies.

Control enhancements

PE-12(1) Essential Mission and Business Functions

Baselines: Not in a baseline

Provide emergency lighting for all areas within the facility supporting essential mission and business functions.

Discussion and assessment objectives for PE-12(1)

Organizations define their essential missions and functions.

Determine if emergency lighting is provided for all areas within the facility supporting essential mission and business functions.

Examine: Physical and environmental protection policy; procedures addressing emergency lighting; emergency lighting documentation; emergency lighting test records; emergency exits and evacuation routes; areas/locations within facility supporting essential missions and business functions; system security plan; other relevant documents or records.

Interview: Organizational personnel with the responsibility for emergency lighting and/or planning; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities.

Test: Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the emergency lighting capability.

Assessment objectives (SP 800-53A)

Objectives and methods for PE-12

Determine if:

• PE-12[01] automatic emergency lighting that activates in the event of a power outage or disruption is employed for the system;
• PE-12[02] automatic emergency lighting that activates in the event of a power outage or disruption is maintained for the system;
• PE-12[03] automatic emergency lighting for the system covers emergency exits within the facility;
• PE-12[04] automatic emergency lighting for the system covers evacuation routes within the facility.

Examine: Physical and environmental protection policy; procedures addressing emergency lighting; emergency lighting documentation; emergency lighting test records; emergency exits and evacuation routes; system security plan; other relevant documents or records.

Interview: Organizational personnel with the responsibility for emergency lighting and/or planning; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities.

Test: Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing an emergency lighting capability.

Policy statement

• The Facilities manager shall employ and maintain automatic emergency lighting for the system that activates in the event of a power outage or disruption and that covers emergency exits and evacuation routes within the facility. (PE-12)
• The Facilities manager shall test emergency lighting at least annually, and repair failures promptly. (PE-12)
• The System owner shall describe the emergency lighting provisions for the system in the contingency plan (CP-2). (PE-12)

From the Physical and Environmental Protection Policy template (draft). Highlighted fields are values your organization sets.

How to apply it

PE-12 asks for automatic emergency lighting that comes on when power fails and covers the emergency exits and evacuation routes in the facility, and for it to be maintained. NIST’s PE-12 discussion says it applies mainly to facilities with concentrations of system resources, such as data centers, server rooms and mainframe computer rooms. It also says the system’s emergency lighting provisions are described in the organization’s contingency plan, and that if emergency lighting fails or cannot be provided, organizations consider alternate processing sites for power-related contingencies. PE-12 is in the Low, Moderate and High baselines.

Common implementations. Building and fire codes usually require emergency lighting and exit signs already, so most of PE-12 is confirming coverage and keeping records. Battery-backed fixtures, or fixtures on the building’s emergency circuit, light the exits and the routes to them. A server room has its own fixture inside the room, so staff can finish an orderly shutdown and leave safely. Building management tests the fixtures on a schedule and replaces failed batteries and lamps.

Organization-defined parameters. PE-12 has none. The Physical and Environmental Protection policy has the facilities manager employ and maintain automatic emergency lighting for the system that activates in a power outage or disruption and covers emergency exits and evacuation routes in the facility, and test it at least annually, repairing failures promptly. It has the system owner describe the emergency lighting provisions for the system in the contingency plan (CP-2).

Evidence assessors ask for.

• Observation of emergency lighting and exit signs in the rooms that hold the system and on the routes out of them
• The last test records, and the repair of any failures they found
• The contingency plan’s description of emergency lighting

Inheritance. For a system hosted in a cloud service or colocation data center, the provider supplies the emergency lighting for its facility, and the system security plan records PE-12 as inherited for it. In a leased building, the landlord often maintains the emergency lighting; record what the lease says, and get copies of the test records. The organization meets PE-12 for its own server rooms as a common control run by the facilities manager.

Common findings.

• A server room with no emergency fixture of its own, relying on light from the hallway.
• Test records that show failed fixtures with no repair recorded.
• Test records held by the landlord and never obtained.
• A contingency plan that does not mention emergency lighting at all.

Enhancements in the Moderate baseline. None. PE-12(1), emergency lighting for all areas supporting essential mission and business functions, is in no baseline; NIST’s discussion says organizations define their essential missions and functions.

Artifacts

• Physical and Environmental Protection Decision Worksheet
• Physical and Environmental Protection Policy