Emergency Lighting: How Often Must It Be Tested?
Emergency lighting only helps if it works when the power fails. Here is what monthly and annual testing involves, and what records you should keep.
If the power fails or a fire alarm sounds, emergency lighting is what lets people find the exit. It is also one of the most commonly neglected parts of a building's fire safety, because it sits quietly in the background until the day it is needed.
Who is responsible?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for non-domestic premises, and for the shared areas of residential buildings, must make sure fire safety equipment, including emergency escape lighting, is properly maintained. The recognised benchmark for emergency lighting is BS 5266-1, which sets out how systems should be designed, installed and tested.
What testing is expected?
The standard approach has two parts. Every month, a short functional test (often called a flick test) simulates a power cut using a test key or switch. Each light should come on and stay lit for the test period, and any fitting that fails should be noted and put right. Once a year, a full duration test runs the lights on battery for their rated time, which is typically three hours. This is the test that exposes ageing batteries, because a light can pass every monthly check and still fail after an hour.
Keep a log book
Every test, failure and repair should be recorded in a log book, along with who carried it out and when. If a fire officer, insurer or enforcement authority asks to see your maintenance records, this is the first thing they will look for. After the annual test, a competent engineer should issue a certificate.
Common problems
Lights that are blocked or painted over, exit signs that no longer illuminate, batteries that have reached the end of their life, and buildings that have been reorganised without anyone checking that the escape routes are still covered. Any change to the layout, use or occupancy of a building is a good moment to review your emergency lighting.
How L.A.R. Group can help
We install, test and maintain emergency lighting for businesses and landlords across Barnsley, South Yorkshire and the wider region. Call 07778 563 429 or email info@lar-group.co.uk to arrange a test or a free quote.
General information only, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026.
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