Emergency lighting testing: monthly, annual, and what to record
Emergency lighting needs a short test every month and a full-duration test every year. Here is what each involves, who usually does it, how to avoid leaving a building in the dark, and what goes in the log book.
Emergency lighting has one job: to light the way out when the mains fails. Because it only works when something else has gone wrong, the only way to know it will work is to test it, and BS 5266-1, the code of practice for emergency lighting, sets two routine tests.
The two tests
| Test | How often | What it involves | Usually done by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional ("flick") test | Monthly | Simulate a mains failure briefly and check every luminaire and exit sign lights | The building's own staff |
| Full-duration test | Annually | Simulate a mains failure for the system's full rated duration, usually 3 hours, and check every fitting stays lit to the end | A competent contractor |
The monthly test checks the lamps and the changeover. The annual test checks the batteries: a fitting that lights for ten minutes and fails at two hours passes every monthly test and fails the one that matters.
Who is responsible
The legal duty sits with the responsible person for the premises under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales (the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 in Scotland): usually the employer or whoever controls the building. They can hand the testing to a contractor, but not the responsibility. In practice, most buildings do the monthly test themselves and contract the annual test, often alongside the fire alarm service.
Don't leave the building in the dark
After a full-duration test the batteries are flat and can take up to 24 hours to recharge, so for that period the building has little or no emergency lighting. Two common ways to manage it:
- Test when the building is empty or quiet, and agree with the client that it stays that way until the batteries have recharged.
- Test alternate fittings, half at one visit and half at the next, so every area keeps some emergency lighting while the tested fittings recharge.
What to record
Every test goes in the emergency lighting log book, which fire officers and insurers ask to see. For each test, record:
- The date, and whether it was a functional or full-duration test
- Who carried it out
- How many fittings were tested and which failed, with their locations
- What was done about each failure, and when
Self-testing systems
Many newer installations test themselves and report failures to a panel or online. They save the monthly walk-round, but someone still needs to read the results, record them and fix what failed. Treat the system's report as the test, not as the record.
How PPMdesk handles it
Set each site's annual test as a plan; the visit becomes a job 90 days before it is due. PPMdesk comes with an emergency lighting job sheet: full-duration test pass or fail, fittings tested, fittings failed and where, and a photo of the certificate. Failed fittings become faults with photos and a price, quoted to the client by site and accepted online. How PPMdesk works for fire and security contractors.
Frequently asked questions
How often should emergency lighting be tested?
BS 5266-1 sets a short functional test every month and a full-duration test, usually three hours, every year. Both should be recorded in the log book.
Who can test emergency lighting?
The monthly functional test can be done by trained staff at the premises. The annual full-duration test should be done by a competent person, usually a contractor.
How long is the annual emergency lighting test?
The full rated duration of the system, which is three hours for most commercial systems. Some systems are rated for one hour; the test runs for whatever the system is designed for.
Why is the building at risk after a duration test?
The batteries are discharged and can take up to 24 hours to recharge. Test when the building is quiet, or test alternate fittings so every area keeps some emergency lighting.
- Fire Protection Association: how to test emergency lighting
- Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue: routine maintenance
Checked on 5 November 2026. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
