Emergency lighting tests logged per luminaire, every month
Monthly function tests and the annual full-duration test recorded per luminaire, with failures turned into work. BS 5266-1 and the Fire Safety Order.
What the standard asks
The Fire Safety Order requires emergency routes and exits to be lit where needed and the equipment to be maintained in efficient working order. BS 5266-1 is the code of practice courts and fire authorities use as the benchmark.
BS 5266-1 and BS EN 50172 call for a short functional test of every luminaire at least monthly and a full rated-duration test at least annually, with results recorded in a log book.
Failures found on test must be recorded and rectified, and the log must be available to the enforcing authority on request.
BS 5266-1:2016 Emergency lighting. Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises
How AssetWRX handles it
- 01
Every luminaire is an asset
Each fitting has a location, a type (maintained, non-maintained, exit sign), a battery date and its test history. A QR label on the fitting opens its record.
- 02
The monthly walk as a scheduled inspection
One scheduled inspection covers a floor or a building. The template lists each luminaire with pass, fail and a photo on fail.
- 03
The annual duration test with the numbers
Record the test start, the duration achieved and the result per fitting. Batteries that fall short become jobs.
- 04
The log book is the report
A signed PDF per test run, with the date, who tested and every result, replaces the paper log and is shareable with the fire risk assessor.
Questions
- Do I have to test emergency lighting monthly?
- BS 5266-1 calls for a monthly function test and an annual full-duration test. The Fire Safety Order requires the system to be maintained; following the code of practice is how you show that.
- Can we test during working hours?
- The full-duration test leaves batteries depleted, so BS 5266-1 advises doing it at a time of low risk and allowing recharge before the premises are occupied. Record the time in the test log.
- What do I do with a failed fitting?
- Record it, take the fitting out of the count of compliant luminaires and get it repaired or replaced. In AssetWRX the fail opens a job so the repair is tracked to closure with the evidence.
General guidance, not legal advice. Duties depend on your premises, jurisdiction and risk assessment; confirm them with a competent person.
Run the first check this week
Your first asset is free, with no card. Import the checklist at signup, label the asset, run the check on a phone.