Emergency Lighting Testing

What is Emergency Lighting Testing

Emergency lighting is energised during an emergency situation when the main power supply fails. The loss of mains electricity could be the result of a fire or a power cut and the normal lighting supplies fail. This may lead to sudden darkness and a possible danger to the occupants, either through physical danger or panic.

Emergency lighting operates automatically and should give illumination of a sufficiently high level to enable persons of all ages to evacuate the premises safely.

Annual emergency lighting tests

This is a Legal requirment, and must be done.

A test for the full rated duration of the emergency lights (e.g. 3 hours) must be carried out. The emergency lights must still be working at the end of this test.

The result must be recorded and, if failures are detected, these must be remedied as soon as possible.

Emergency Lighting Testing and – Maintenance

The Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 require that appropriate testing is performed to maintain compliance of the system. The system should include adequate facilities for testing and recording the system condition.

A ‘full discharge test’ should be carried out annually. This process entails activating the emergency lights and leaving them on until the batteries are fully discharged.

At least once a year a suitably qualified service engineer should check the entire emergency lighting system, including discharge for the full specified duration of your units. Maintained emergency units should last for 3 hours, and non-maintained units for 2 hours.

The testing schedule is in accordance with BS EN 50172:2004 / BS5266-8:2004, 7.2.3, BS 5266-8:2004, 7.2.4 and BS5266-1:2016 clause 12.