How Often Should Emergency Lighting Be Tested?

If you are asking how often emergency lighting should be tested, the working answer for most non-domestic systems in England and Wales is two layers, not one yearly date. Occupiers carry out a monthly function test. A competent person then runs a full duration test, commonly once a year. That split is British Standard and fire-and-rescue practice under the emergency-route and maintenance duties in the Fire Safety Order. It is not a statutory yearly certificate, and a fire risk assessment is not an emergency lighting test.

Safety Certificates UK is a matching network. We introduce you to vetted assessors; we do not run an in-house engineering team.

What the law actually requires

In England and Wales, general fire safety sits in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Article 14 says that, where necessary, emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity if their normal lighting fails. Article 17 then requires the responsible person to put those facilities, equipment and devices under a suitable system of maintenance, and to keep them in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.

The Order tells you to light the escape route if the mains fail, and to maintain the equipment. It does not print “obtain an emergency lighting certificate every year”. Fire certificates under the Fire Precautions Act 1971 were replaced when the Order came into force in October 2006. What you keep now is a living maintenance regime and a log, not a leftover paper product the statute no longer issues.

GOV.UK workplace fire safety guidance names the responsible person as the employer, owner, landlord, occupier, or anyone else with control of the premises. You must carry out a fire risk assessment, put in place and maintain fire safety measures, plan for an emergency, and train staff. The HSE adds that fire exits and escape routes should be kept clearly marked and unobstructed.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have different fire safety rules. The HSE points Scottish general fire safety to Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act. This article is written for England and Wales.

Monthly function tests versus the annual duration test

The interval people search for is really two jobs.

Avon Fire & Rescue Service’s non-domestic fire safety log book, written against BS 5266 Part 8, sets the occupier’s rhythm:

  • Daily (central systems): glance at indicators on a central power supply. That is a ready-state check, not an operational test.
  • Monthly: switch each luminaire and internally illuminated exit sign into emergency mode by simulating a failure of the normal lighting, for long enough to see that each lamp is illuminated. Check they are present, clean and working. Restore the supply and confirm any indicator shows that normal power is back. Keep the simulated failure short.
  • Annually: repeat the monthly inspection, then test each luminaire and internally illuminated sign for its full rated duration in accordance with the manufacturer’s information. Restore the supply, check charging, and write the date and result in the log.

The same log book’s maintenance table repeats that split: monthly function test (non-specialist) and annual full discharge. Avon tells you to run tests at times of least risk, because a duration test can leave batteries depleted.

That annual visit is industry practice, not a fuse in the statute. BS 5266-1 is the UK code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises. A code of practice is guidance for competent users; it is not an Act of Parliament. Your fire risk assessment, the system type, sleeping risk and the manufacturer still govern the detail. A handful of self-contained fittings in a shop is not the same job as a central battery system in a hotel.

Monthly function tests remain yours. The visit we arrange is competent-person duration testing. See emergency lighting testing for how that booking works.

A fire risk assessment is not an emergency lighting test

This is the other mix-up. Article 9 of the Order requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. GOV.UK says you must put in place and maintain fire safety measures. The HSE puts escape in operational language: keep fire exits and routes clearly marked and unobstructed. Passing the assessment does not mean a luminaire has been function-tested this month, or that a competent person has run a full duration discharge.

Keep both on the file: a current assessment, and a log of monthly tests plus duration records. How often the assessment itself must be reviewed is a separate question — see our guide on how often a fire risk assessment must be reviewed.

The alarm is not the lights. If that servicing is overdue, book fire alarm testing as a separate job.

Who should do which test?

GOV.UK is plain that if more than one person has control, you work together. For common or shared areas of multi-occupied residential buildings, the responsible person is the landlord, freeholder or managing agent.

Monthly function tests can be done by a trained occupier or site person. Duration testing needs a competent person with the knowledge, experience and instructions for that system. We match you with a local assessor from a nationwide network. We are not an in-house contractor.

A torch in a tenanted flat is a different duty. Escape-route luminaires and exit signs in common parts of a block or HMO are this job.

What to record in the log book

Avon Fire’s log book is useful because it shows what an enforcing officer expects to see: date, duration of test, result, location and fault, when the fault was cleared, and a signature. Article 17 sits behind that paper trail: the log is how you prove a suitable system of maintenance exists.

Keep the log with the duration-test record. Electronic or paper is fine if you can produce it quickly.

Next steps

If monthly function tests have slipped, start them this month and write them down. If you have no competent-person duration record, or the last full discharge is well beyond a year, book the test. If the missing document is the assessment, review that separately rather than treating a lighting visit as a substitute.

Request emergency lighting testing through our nationwide network, or start on the quote form. We match you with a vetted assessor; we do not carry out the visit in-house.

Frequently asked questions

How often should emergency lighting be tested in the UK?

For most non-domestic systems, a monthly function test by the occupier, plus a full duration test by a competent person, commonly once a year. That is BS 5266-1 and fire-and-rescue practice under Articles 14 and 17, not a printed statutory interval.

Is annual emergency lighting testing a legal requirement?

The Fire Safety Order requires emergency lighting of adequate intensity where routes need to be lit if the mains fail, and a suitable system of maintenance so equipment is kept in efficient working order and good repair. It does not say “every year”. An annual full duration test is the common practice in fire-and-rescue log books and BS 5266-1.

Is a fire risk assessment the same as an emergency lighting test?

No. The assessment is the Article 9 duty to identify fire risks and the precautions you need, including escape routes and lighting. Emergency lighting testing is the monthly function test and the duration test that keep that system working.

Who should carry out the monthly function test?

A nominated, trained occupier can do the monthly function test. Duration testing is a competent-person job. Run tests at times of least risk, because a discharge can leave batteries depleted until they recharge.

Do landlords have to test emergency lighting in common parts?

If you control common parts of a multi-occupied residential building, GOV.UK treats you as the responsible person for those areas. Maintain any building emergency lighting there. A torch in a tenanted flat is not a substitute.

What should be written in the emergency lighting log book?

Date, duration of the test, the result, location and any fault, when the fault was cleared, and who signed. Keep the competent-person duration record with it.

Sources

Guidance only — not legal advice. Fire and rescue authorities enforce the Fire Safety Order in most premises. Emergency lighting testing is not a fire risk assessment, and fire certificates were abolished in 2006.