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Emergency lighting is required in premises to enable occupants to escape safely in an emergency situation. BS 5266-1 states that a building must have adequate illumination to support escape and identify firefighting equipment (or any other fire safety equipment). For the annual test, the requirements for emergency lighting are to test for a duration of three hours. When doing so, the primary lighting circuit must be switched off and emergency lights left on for three hours in line with BS 5266-1. All luminaires should remain lit throughout this period. Any defects should be reported and remediated as soon as possible. A competent person should carry out these annual emergency lighting tests and undertake any remedial work needed as a result. These tests may be performed by technicians during a fire alarm service, as this can be done while waiting for the lamps to complete the duration of test. How to test emergency lighting?
Be very careful when touching anything inside the electrical consumer box, there is a danger of electrocution if something is wrong. If in doubt seek a qualified electrician ** What time of day should I test the emergency lights
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UK fire regulations stipulate that your emergency lights should be turned on and off monthly to test them and have a full service once a year. The latest British Standard recommends that you have a 3 hour emergency lighting test once a year, during which your main light circuit should be switched off and your emergency lights left on for a 3 hour period to find out of any batteries need replacing. How can Equiptest help me? Areas in which there is moving machinery or vehicles, flammable materials or control rooms associated with potentially dangerous processes have, as ‘high risk task areas’, slightly different requirements in relation to emergency lighting – particularly in relation to the illuminance levels to be maintained and duration of operation. High risk task area lighting is provided predominantly to ensure that processes can be safely terminated, and occupants make their evacuation from the area without undue risk from the process. You need emergency lighting in areas that could be considered “dangerous” such as commercial kitchens or plant rooms. If your building has rooms larger than 60 square metres, then emergency lighting is recommended. How long do emergency lights need to stay on? Emergency lighting should be tested monthly in between servicing visits. Here is an example of what an emergency light looks like. If everyone goes home at 5pm then perhaps start the test then, or up to 3 hours before. So you know that if there was a problem after the test no one would be in the building and the emergency lights would have a long time to recharge overnight, before people start working again in the morning. But the building is used 24/7 365 days a year!
Standby lighting enables normal activities within in building to continue in the event of a mains power failure. Standby lighting is not a legal requirement but is a facility that some buildings may need depending on the use and occupancy of the premises. Here at the Fire Protection Association, we offer a 5-day Fire Detection, Alarms, and Emergency Lighting training course that provides a comprehensive understanding of systems, legislation, and standards including BS 5266-1 and BS 5839, as well as practical guidance for carrying out installation, commissioning, and maintenance of systems. Find out more here. The frequency in which you should get your emergency lighting tested can vary depending on system type (i.e. maintained emergency lighting or non-maintained), but as a general guide, you should aim to get your emergency lighting system tested monthly, in addition to an annual ‘full duration’ test as described in BS 5266-1.There should be a monthly test of your emergency lighting carried out by the responsible person for your building. This is usually a short test to ensure that your emergency lighting works, making note of any units not working or those that require cleaning and maintenance. We can provide emergency lighting testing and servicing to ensure you are fire safety compliant. We can test your emergency lighting system at a time that suits you. The results of all testing and any necessary corrective action can be recorded in your fire safety logbook. This record is then available for inspection if required. There are many different types of emergency lights and different types of emergency lighting test facilities however most of these different pieces of equipment are generally tested and inspected in a similar way. Yes and no. If it is a small building and all the emergency lights are on one circuit, then yes, you have no choice. However if it is a large building then it would make sense to stagger the testing. This way the whole building would not be affected if there was a power cut, during the recharge time. Testing Central Battery Systems
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