Why should you have them?
Emergency lighting is a ‘life safety system’ and is required to assist occupants in the safe evacuation of premises in the event of a power failure. They're designed to turn on if the normal lighting fails and therefore need to be sufficiently bright, illuminated for enough time and positioned so that the occupants of a building can be evacuated safely in an emergency. It is a mandatory requirement to be installed where artificial lighting is installed and must be regularly tested to ensure compliance.
What is an emergency lighting test?
Emergency lighting fitting often can go wrong, from faulty LED/Tubes to faulty batteries, your maintenance plan should include a competent person to carry out periodic checks for both, this must be documented in the onsite, fire safety logbook. The limit for backup batteries should be capable of providing power for a minimum of 3 hours after the mains fail.
How often should I carry out tests?
- Monthly Testing
Monthly testing can be carried out by the “responsible” person on-site, and if not possible a hired contractor. This would involve the mains power supply to the general lighting being switched off. there will be usually a separate switch installed to allow testing of emergency systems without switching off all mains, often via what's known as a "fish key switch". A walk-around is carried out to ensure all emergency lights are visibly working. Results should then be recorded in the fire safety log book and immediate remedial requests will be made if any defects are found.
- Annual Testing
Annual tests are performed by the “responsible” qualified person on site or hired contractor via the same process as monthly testing, this time the major difference being that the emergency units are left illuminated for 3 hours known as a "full duration test", this is to test If there would be any lights that would not last for the full duration. Testing will indicate if fitting PCBs, batteries or the amount of LUXs (the SI unit of illuminance, equal to one lumen per square metre) are sufficient. These tests should preferably be carried out, out of hours to prevent a potential emergency situation after all emergency lights have been drained.
Why should I keep my emergency lighting testing up to date?
Safety always comes first. Regular testing of your emergency light systems will provide peace of mind that the workplace is safe for you and your staff. If power were to be disrupted, buildings can become dangerously dark, making it difficult to navigate during an emergency without suitable emergency lighting in place.
Ensuring your building is compliant. Having your emergency light testing up to date shows that you understand the importance of remaining compliant and your responsibilities as set out by British Standards BS 5266-1:2016 and BS EN 50172.
Reduced Liability. If your emergency light fittings are not operating correctly, accidents, injuries or property damage could occur during a power outage or an emergency. This could lead to claims against the building's insurance policy and may lead to higher premiums in the future.
Improved Performance. When emergency lighting fittings are not tested regularly or maintained properly, they can perform very poorly in an emergency situation. Weak batteries can reduce the operating time of the fittings or lead to abnormally dim illumination during use. Old end-of-life lamps can prevent the fixture from providing sufficient light, they can also drain the battery quicker than normal. Performing simple maintenance on the fittings ensures that both the batteries and illumination type can be performing to their optimum and will operate for the required amount of time should an emergency occur.
Save System Life. Regular testing of each fitting can help spot damaged emergency light batteries, LEDs, Lamps and more before a more severe fault occurs. This can prolong the life of the fixture and can reduce future repair costs to the emergency lighting system.