Emergency lighting is what lets people find the way out when the normal supply has failed and the building is full of smoke. It is required by article 14 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which says emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in case of failure of normal lighting. BS 5266 is the standard the trade designs and tests to.
Maintained and non maintained
A maintained fitting is lit all the time and stays lit on failure of the mains. A non maintained fitting is off until the mains fails. Maintained is used where people are present in darkness by design, such as cinemas and function rooms; non maintained suits offices and stairwells. Combined fittings do both. Getting the two mixed up on a drawing is a common and expensive design error.
What the testing regime is
A short functional test monthly, which is the flick test: operate the test facility, confirm every luminaire and every exit sign illuminates, restore, confirm the charging indicator. A full duration test annually, discharging the batteries for their rated duration, normally three hours, and confirming every fitting is still lit at the end. Both are recorded in the log book, and the annual test is scheduled when the building can afford discharged batteries afterwards.
Where the lighting has to be
Escape routes and exits, changes of direction, stairs, intersections, outside each final exit, at fire alarm call points and firefighting equipment, in lifts, in plant rooms and toilets above a certain size, and in areas of high risk where a task has to be shut down safely. The design comes from BS 5266 and from the fire risk assessment, not from spacing the fittings evenly.
Failures the annual test finds
Batteries that hold charge for twenty minutes rather than three hours are the classic. So are fittings that light for the monthly flick and die under load, missing fittings after a refurbishment moved a wall, and exit signs pointing at a door that is now a cupboard. None of those shows up on a monthly test, which is the reason the annual test exists.
Questions people ask about emergency lighting
How often should emergency lighting be tested?
A short functional test monthly and a full rated duration test annually, both recorded. The rated duration is normally three hours.
What does maintained emergency lighting mean?
The luminaire is lit under normal conditions and remains lit if the mains supply fails. Non maintained fittings only illuminate on failure.
Is emergency lighting a legal requirement?
Article 14 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires emergency routes and exits requiring illumination to be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in case of failure of normal lighting.
What is a flick test?
The monthly functional test: the test facility is operated so the fittings run on battery briefly, each is confirmed to illuminate, and the result is recorded.