5 Essential Emergency Lighting Checks for Your Business
As autumn approaches and daylight hours become shorter, businesses begin relying more heavily on their lighting systems. The clock change provides a useful reminder to check that emergency lighting is working correctly and escape routes remain clearly visible.
Emergency lighting is an important part of a building’s fire safety arrangements. If the normal lighting supply fails because of a fire, power cut or electrical fault, it should provide sufficient illumination for employees, visitors and members of the public to leave the premises safely.
Completing these five checks before the clocks change can help identify faults and prepare your business for the darker months.
1. Visually Inspect Lights and Exit Signs
Walk through the premises and inspect all accessible emergency lights and illuminated exit signs.
Look for:
Damaged, loose or missing fittings
Cracked or discoloured covers
Fault warning indicators
Missing or damaged exit signs
Signs obstructed by stock, furniture or decorations
Water inside fittings
Lights that flicker or appear unusually dim
Equipment that has been painted over
Exit signs should be visible from the relevant areas and point in the correct direction. If furniture, shelving or displays have been moved, check that they have not blocked a light or sign.
Do not open fittings or attempt electrical repairs unless you are qualified and authorised to do so. Record and report any visible defects promptly.
2. Check Escape Routes and Changes to the Building
Emergency lighting cannot support a safe evacuation if escape routes are blocked or the building’s layout has changed since the system was designed.
Check that:
Corridors and staircases are unobstructed
Fire exits open correctly
Directional signs remain clearly visible
Changes in floor level are illuminated
External routes are clear and usable
The route leads occupants to a place of safety
Autumn weather can create additional hazards outside the building. Clear fallen leaves from final exits, steps and paths, and check that external emergency lights have not been affected by water, vegetation or accidental damage.
You should also review any alterations made to the premises. These might include:
New internal walls or doors
Rearranged shelving
Additional displays or machinery
Changes to room use
New workspaces
Increased occupancy
Altered escape routes
Even a minor change could obscure an exit sign or create a poorly illuminated section of the route. Where the layout or use of the premises has changed, the fire risk assessment and emergency-lighting design may need to be reviewed.
3. Complete the Monthly Functional Test
Businesses should have monthly and annual testing arrangements in place for emergency escape lighting.
The monthly functional test simulates a failure of the normal lighting supply. Its purpose is to confirm that each emergency fitting switches on and operates from its battery.
During the test, check that:
Every emergency light operates
Illuminated exit signs remain visible
There are no dark areas along escape routes
Fittings do not flicker or fail
Indicator lights return to normal afterwards
Any faults are recorded and reported
The test should last long enough to confirm that the fittings operate without unnecessarily discharging their batteries.
Testing should be completed safely by someone who understands the system’s controls and the building’s fire safety arrangements.
4. Confirm When the Annual Duration Test Is Due
A short monthly test confirms that an emergency light switches on, but it does not prove that the battery will continue operating for its full rated duration.
A full annual duration test is therefore required to assess whether the system can remain illuminated for the intended emergency period.
Because this test significantly discharges the batteries, it should be planned carefully. It may need to take place when the building is empty or when sufficient daylight is available while the batteries recharge.
The annual inspection and test should be completed by a competent person who can:
Test the full system
Check battery performance
Inspect the condition of the fittings
Identify damaged or unsuitable equipment
Record defects
Recommend repairs or replacements
Check the business’s fire safety logbook to confirm when the last annual test was completed and when the next one is due.
Signs of a possible battery or charging problem include a fitting that does not operate, works only briefly, appears unusually dim or displays a fault indicator.
5. Record Faults and Arrange Repairs
All emergency-lighting tests, faults and repairs should be documented in the premises’ fire safety logbook.
Records should include:
The date of the test
The type of test completed
The areas and fittings checked
Any faults identified
The action taken
The person who completed the test
The date repairs were completed
Details of professional inspections
Accurate records help the Responsible Person monitor the system and demonstrate that suitable testing and maintenance arrangements are in place.
Recording a fault is not enough on its own. Repairs should be arranged within an appropriate timeframe, particularly where the failure affects an escape route or exit sign.
Staff should also know how to report obvious problems such as damaged fittings, fault lights, obstructed signs and poorly illuminated escape routes.
Where is emergency lighting needed?
Depending on the building and its fire risk assessment, emergency lighting may be needed around:
Corridors and staircases
Changes in floor level
Fire exits and final exit doors
Emergency exit signs
Fire alarm call points
Firefighting equipment
Large open areas
Windowless rooms
External escape routes
Emergency lighting should help people follow the designated escape route until they reach a place of safety.
Who Is Responsible for Emergency Lighting?
Under fire safety law in England and Wales, the person or organisation with control of a non-domestic premises is known as the Responsible Person.
This could be:
The employer
The building owner
The landlord
The occupier
A facilities or building manager
A managing agent
More than one party sharing responsibility
The Responsible Person must carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment, provide suitable fire safety measures and ensure those measures are properly maintained.
In shared commercial premises, responsibility may be divided between the landlord and individual tenants. Businesses should understand who is responsible for the emergency lighting within their unit and along any shared escape routes.
When Should You Arrange a Professional Inspection?
Contact a competent emergency-lighting contractor if:
The annual duration test is due
You do not have reliable testing records
One or more fittings have failed
Batteries no longer achieve their required duration
Exit signs are missing or unclear
The premises have been altered
External escape routes are poorly illuminated
The system has not been professionally inspected for some time
You are unsure whether the existing coverage is suitable
A professional inspection can identify defects and establish whether repairs, replacement fittings or improvements to the system are required.
Optimum Electrics provides emergency-lighting installation, inspection, testing and maintenance services for commercial premises.
If your emergency lighting is due for testing or you are concerned about its condition or coverage, contact our team to arrange a professional inspection before the clocks change.
Get in touch for a free, no-obligation site survey.
📧 enquiries@optimumelectrics.co.uk | 📞 01733 601698
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