Emergency lighting is a fundamental element of fire safety in non-domestic premises. When a fire or power failure occurs, emergency lighting provides illumination for safe evacuation. Without it, occupants attempting to evacuate in darkness risk serious injury. UK law requires most commercial and public premises to install, test, and maintain adequate emergency lighting.
The Legal Basis for Emergency Lighting
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person in any non-domestic premises to take general fire precautions including adequate means of escape, which inherently includes emergency lighting. The Building Regulations (Approved Document B) set minimum requirements for emergency lighting in new and refurbished buildings. BS 5266 provides the technical standard for the design, installation, and testing of emergency lighting systems.
Which Premises Need Emergency Lighting?
- Offices and commercial buildings
- Schools and educational establishments
- Hotels, restaurants, and bars
- Retail shops and supermarkets
- Factories and warehouses
- Healthcare premises
- Public buildings with visitor access
- Any premises where people could be trapped in darkness during evacuation
BS 5266 Testing Requirements
- Monthly: Short function test — each luminaire must switch to emergency mode and illuminate
- Six-monthly: 1-hour discharge test — batteries must sustain full output for 1 hour
- Annual: Full duration discharge test (typically 3 hours) — full system assessment
Record Keeping
All emergency lighting tests must be recorded in an emergency lighting log. This log must be available for inspection by fire authorities, insurers, and other regulatory bodies. MES PAT Testing Ltd maintains logbooks for all our emergency lighting clients and provides BS 5266-compliant certificates for all testing visits.
