Emergency lighting (United Kingdom)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
For the responsible person of offices, shops, schools, hotels, warehouses and the common parts of residential buildings, and for whoever maintains them. It covers the general maintenance duty in article 17 of the Fire Safety Order, the monthly function test of every luminaire, the annual full duration test, the test logbook, re-checking coverage after any layout change, and end of life for the luminaires. The intervals come from BS 5266-1, a paid standard we have not read: they are presented as technical practice, not as a numerical statutory duty. It does not cover system design or illuminance levels.
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Ask what is in the manuals, how often the maintenance is due and what it takes to do it.
What it already has at hand
- No manual on this page
- 6 planned checks, the most frequent every month since the last inspection
Planned checks
Informative summary verified on 12/09/2026. It does not replace legal advice: the regulation cited prevails. If you spot an error, report it.
Some checks are only mandatory in certain countries: pick yours and the list follows.
In Italy this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In France this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Germany this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Austria this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
- 01
Review coverage after changes to the premises
A well-designed installation stops being one when walls, racking or doors move, when a room changes use, or when a new exit is created. This is an organisational control we set ourselves: at every change to the premises, and in any case once a year, check that every escape route, change of direction, staircase and first-aid point is still covered by a luminaire. The review belongs to whoever manages the building, who brings in the designer when the change is substantial.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsCompany ruleUnited Kingdom only - 02
Monthly function test of the luminaires
Each month the mains supply is simulated to fail for a short period and every luminaire is checked to light up, with escape routes and exit signs illuminated and no failed lamp left behind. The monthly interval is the one in BS 5266-1, a paid standard we have not read: it is settled technical practice, while the statutory duty remains the general one in article 17. The test can be run by in-house staff with the test key or generated automatically by self-testing systems; either way the result goes into the logbook.
every month since the last inspectionRecommendedBS 5266-1 (Code of Practice); Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (SI 2005/1541) art. 17United Kingdom only - 03
Keep the emergency lighting in working order
The responsible person must put a suitable system of maintenance in place and keep the installation in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair: that duty, and not an interval, is what the law prescribes. The yearly review suggested here is there to confirm the system actually exists — who runs the tests, how they are recorded, who fixes faults and how quickly — and that it covers every luminaire installed. The duty sits with the responsible person; the work itself may be done in house or by a contractor, without the responsibility moving.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationRegulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (SI 2005/1541) art. 17United Kingdom onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 04
End of life of luminaires and batteries
What triggers this rule is the replacement of a luminaire or of its battery pack after a failed test. Luminaires, lamps and batteries are electrical and electronic equipment: they go to separate collection, never to landfill with general waste, and must be passed to a registered carrier under the waste duty of care. The burden sits with the business holding the waste; the maintainer often takes the replaced units away, and even then the transfer documentation is still needed.
continuous checkLegal obligationWaste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/3113); Environmental Protection Act 1990 s.34United Kingdom only - 05
Keep the test logbook
The logbook records, for each test, the date, the result, any failed luminaires and the corrective action taken, alongside the system details and the commissioning certificates. It is not a formality: it is the one document that shows a Fire and Rescue Authority or an insurer that the maintenance required by article 17 was actually carried out. Keeping it is the responsible person’s job, though filling it in can be delegated to the maintainer. The logbook is required by BS 5266-1, not by the legislation by name.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsRecommendedBS 5266-1 (Code of Practice, logbook)United Kingdom only - 06
Annual full duration test
Once a year the installation is tested for its full rated duration, normally three hours, checking that every luminaire stays lit to the end and that the batteries recharge properly; luminaires that fail are replaced. This interval, too, comes from BS 5266-1 rather than from legislation. Schedule the test when the building is lightly occupied, because for several hours afterwards the system is not fully available: carrying it out and signing the certificate is a job for a competent person.
every 12 months since the last inspectionRecommendedBS 5266-1 (Code of Practice, annual full duration test); Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 art. 17United Kingdom only
In Spain this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Portugal this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United States this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Other country this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
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