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! If you notice any issues with your system, you should call in a professional technician to diagnose and remedy the situation as soon as possible to ensure you are covered. 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?

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? 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.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. High risk task area lighting provides light for the safety of people involved in potentially dangerous processes. This lighting enables proper shut-down procedures to be followed for the safety of the operator and other occupants of a building.

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). Switch off the mains power supply to the lighting unit. Often, a separate switch with a 'fish key' is installed allowing the testing of emergency lights without having to switch off all power. Walk past all emergency lights to ensure they are working. Note any defects and get repaired immediately. Record your results in your fire safety log book. Yearly

The FPA

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? 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. A minimum duration of 3 hours should be used for emergency escape lighting if the premises are not evacuated immediately. The 3 hour time frame allows the fire brigade time to work in the event of a fire after all of the building’s occupants have been safely evacuated. How often should my emergency lighting system be tested?

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. If you have a central battery system, then most of the above still applies to you. Drop the incoming power to the battery and do the same walk tests. Make a note of any failures etc. However you need to test the whole system all at once. By testing the whole system at once, you are ensuring that the battery can power all the emergency lights for a full 3 hour duration. If you only tested in zones then the battery would not get a full and proper test. Failure of the normal lighting does not necessarily mean that the hazard no longer exists. A hazard may continue long after failure of the normal lighting supply. In such circumstances, high risk task lighting will be required and designed in such a way to ensure illumination is maintained as long as the local hazard continues to exist. 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 First and foremost, your emergency lighting must be tested by a competent person due to the important nature of the system in ensuring occupant safety in the event of an emergency.

Head Office

There are 2 options for testing emergency lights. You can do it by using the test key switch and key shown in the picture below. Or at the distribution board if it’s clearly marked as emergency lighting. With so many pieces of legislation and regulations covering emergency lighting, we thought it would be a good idea to cover how to test your emergency lighting. 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. Emergency lighting should be tested monthly in between servicing visits. Here is an example of what an emergency light looks like. All emergency lights have an LED charging light on them. This light is to show there is suitable power supply going to the light and it is charging. Under normal circumstances, this light will be lit to show that the light is charging. If you notice that this light is not on you know there is a problem. There could be a problem with battery or the emergency light itself. You should report this straight away. Testing your Emergency Lighting

Because your emergency lighting should be constantly charging to keep a full, 3-hour charge for an emergency, you may opt to conduct a test at the end of the working day. This will ensure that the charge is only depleted when people are out of the building, giving the lights time to recharge overnight. Emergency lighting testing requirements stipulate that emergency lighting must be maintained and regularly tested in the same way as other emergency equipment. Each light should be identified and have a location identity for recordkeeping. A record log can then be kept of the system test, defects, any damage to the system, and remedial action relating to each light.

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This depends on the size and complexity of your building and the time it would take to evacuate. The minimum duration for an emergency escape lighting system is one hour. One hour’s duration should only be used if the premises are evacuated immediately on power supply failure and it is not reoccupied until full capacity has been restored to the batteries. 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. Annual emergency lighting tests need to be carried out by a professional technician. This will involve testing your system for the full duration – usually three hours – and is commonly paired with testing your fire alarm.