Emergency lighting tests: the monthly flick test and the yearly 3-hour run

Emergency lights only prove themselves when the power fails, so the only way to know they will work is to test them. In the UK the usual routine, set out in BS 5266-1, is a short check every month and a full-length test once a year, with every result written down. This guide explains both tests, what to record and how labels on the fittings help. It is general guidance; your fire risk assessment and your emergency lighting engineer decide what your building needs.

Why testing is a duty, not a nice-to-have #

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, the responsible person must keep fire safety equipment, emergency lighting included, maintained in good working order. Scotland and Northern Ireland have equivalent duties. Testing on a schedule, and recording it, is how you show that you have done so if the fire service or an insurer asks.

The monthly test #

Once a month, switch every emergency light to battery for a short time and check it lights. This is sometimes called the flick test, because many fittings are tested with a key switch that cuts the mains to them.

• Do it at a quiet time, because the building’s normal lighting on that circuit may go off too.
• Walk the whole building and look at every fitting and every lit exit sign while they are on battery.
• Keep the test short, long enough to see each light working, so the batteries are not left flat if the real thing happens shortly after.
• Restore the power and check charging lights have come back on.

The yearly test #

Once a year each fitting runs on battery for its full rated duration, most often 3 hours, to prove the battery still lasts. Because the lights are then recharging for many hours afterwards, the building is short of emergency lighting until they recover. That is why the yearly test is usually done out of hours, or one section at a time, and is often carried out by a competent electrician or fire safety engineer.

What to record #

Keep a log book, paper or digital, with:

• the date of each test and who did it;
• which fittings were tested and the result;
• any faults found and when they were put right;
• any changes to the system, such as new fittings after a refit.

A small label on each fitting, or on the test key switch, showing the last test date and the next one due helps the person doing the walk-round see at a glance what has been checked, and shows visitors and inspectors the system is looked after.

Test labels we print #

Our emergency lighting test labels come in 76 × 51 mm and 62 × 33 mm, with write-on lines for test date, next test due and engineer, and your company name and phone number printed on. Polypropylene suits plant rooms, car parks and anywhere damp; our guide to paper or polypropylene labels explains the difference. Engineers who also look after fire doors and extinguishers can match them with fire door inspection labels and fire extinguisher service labels, or take the fire safety engineer starter pack.

Exit signs and emergency lighting #

Exit signs on escape routes have to be visible when the mains fails, either lit from inside or lit by nearby emergency lights. When you test, check the signs as well as the lights. Our fire exit signs guide covers where the signs go.

Questions people ask #