Emergency lighting is tested to BS 5266-1:2025 and BS EN 50172:2024, which replaced the 2016 and 2004 editions. The regime is a daily visual check of central battery indicators, a monthly functional test of every luminaire, and an annual test for the full rated duration, normally 3 hours, with 1 hour acceptable only where the building is evacuated immediately. Every test is recorded in a logbook under Article 17.
What the law and the standards require
Two duties in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 govern emergency lighting in England and Wales. Article 14(2)(h) requires that emergency routes and exits requiring illumination are provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in case the normal lighting fails. Article 17 requires that the equipment is subject to a suitable system of maintenance and kept in efficient working order and good repair. Regulation 8(3) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 adds a duty to provide suitable and sufficient emergency lighting in any room where people at work are specially exposed to danger if artificial lighting fails.
Neither instrument states a test frequency. The frequencies come from the British Standards, and those changed recently. BS 5266-1:2025, the code of practice for emergency lighting of premises, was published on 29 October 2025 and superseded the 2016 edition on the same day. BS EN 50172:2024, the emergency escape lighting systems standard, dual numbered BS 5266-8:2024, was published on 31 July 2024 and replaces the 2004 edition, which is formally withdrawn on 27 May 2027. BS EN 1838:2024 sets the lighting levels and BS EN 62034:2012 covers automatic test systems. Any maintenance contract, logbook template or fire risk assessment that still cites BS 5266-1:2016 or BS EN 50172:2004 is out of date.
This guide covers the frequency regime and what changed. For the procedure of testing, the equipment types and how to read a failure, see our emergency lighting testing guide.
Who is responsible
The responsible person under Article 3 of the Fire Safety Order, normally the employer or the person in control of the premises, holds the duty. In a multi-tenanted building the landlord holds it for common escape routes and each tenant for their demise, and both must record who tests what. Article 18(5) requires that anyone appointed to assist has sufficient training, experience or knowledge to do so. Our duty holder guide explains how the responsible person role is allocated and recorded since Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 came into force.
The testing frequencies
Emergency lighting test regime under BS EN 50172:2024 and BS 5266-1:2025
| Test | Frequency | What is done | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicator check | Daily | Visual check that the indicator lamps on central battery systems show healthy status; not required for self-contained luminaires | Building staff |
| Functional test | Monthly | Simulate a mains failure long enough to confirm every luminaire and exit sign illuminates and the mains restores; around 15 minutes in practice per the IET reading of the standard | Trained in-house staff or contractor |
| Full rated duration test | Annually | Simulate a mains failure for the full rated duration, normally 3 hours, and confirm every luminaire is still lit at the end; confirm recharge afterwards | Competent person |
| Photometric verification | Initially and every 5 years | Confirm the installed luminaires achieve the illuminance levels in BS EN 1838:2024 on escape routes, open areas and at safety equipment; introduced as a periodic requirement in BS 5266-1:2025 | Competent person |
| Logbook entry | After every test | Record date, result, defects, remedial action | Whoever tests |
Automatic test systems to BS EN 62034 can perform the monthly and annual tests and record results, but the responsible person must still review the results, act on failures and keep the record.
One hour or three hours
The rated duration is a design decision recorded in the fire risk assessment, and the annual test runs for that duration. The minimum permitted by the standard is one hour, but one hour is acceptable only where the premises are evacuated immediately on supply failure and are not reoccupied until the batteries have fully recharged. Three hours is required where evacuation is not immediate, which includes all sleeping accommodation such as hotels, care homes, student halls and hospitals, and where the premises will be reoccupied as soon as the supply is restored. In practice almost all non-domestic premises are designed to three hours, and a contractor who tests for one hour on a three-hour system has not completed the test.
Timing and battery recharge
The annual test discharges the batteries. Sealed lead acid and nickel cadmium cells need approximately 24 hours to recharge, and during that window the building has reduced or no emergency lighting capacity. Both ICEL and BAFE guidance state that the test should be carried out at a time of minimal risk, and BAFE adds that batteries left discharged can suffer permanent cell damage. For a hotel that means mid-morning on a low-occupancy day, not the evening before a full house. Where the fire risk assessment cannot accept 24 hours of reduced cover, the luminaires are tested in alternate groups on different days so that part of the system is always available. Our hotel compliance checklist places the annual test in the wider calendar.
What good evidence looks like
The logbook is the evidence of compliance and the first thing a fire safety inspecting officer asks for. BS EN 50172 requires it to record:
- the date the system was commissioned, and the certificate;
- the date and result of every periodic inspection and test;
- each defect found and the remedial action taken, with its date;
- every alteration to the installation;
- details of any automatic test device fitted and its results.
Paper or electronic formats are both acceptable. The Home Office guide for small non-domestic premises expects the record to be produced on inspection. A good contractor's annual report adds a luminaire schedule against a plan, a photograph of each failed unit, the battery age of each luminaire, and the date the next photometric verification falls due. For the fixed wiring that feeds the system, the five-yearly EICR is a separate regime; see our EICR testing guide and our commercial EICR cost guide.
Competence
The monthly functional test can be done by trained staff using the test facilities, and this is the expected arrangement in most premises. The annual duration test, repairs, alterations and the photometric verification need a competent person, which BS 5266-1:2025 defines as a person suitably trained and qualified by knowledge and practical experience, and provided with the necessary instructions, to carry out the task correctly. The recognised third-party evidence is certification of the contractor under BAFE SP203-4, the emergency lighting scheme covering design, installation, commissioning and maintenance. Ask for the certificate and check it on the BAFE register. Our PAT testing requirements guide explains the parallel competence logic for portable equipment.
Common failures and enforcement consequences
- Monthly tests not done or not recorded. The most common finding. A logbook with an annual entry only is evidence that eleven months of tests were missed.
- Wrong duration. A one-hour test on a three-hour system, or a test stopped when the first luminaire fails rather than run to completion with failures recorded.
- Batteries past life. Luminaire batteries typically need replacement after a few years; a duration test that many units fail indicates a replacement programme is overdue, not a series of isolated faults.
- Out-of-date standards in the contract. Contracts citing BS 5266-1:2016 will not include the periodic photometric verification introduced in 2025.
- No test after alterations. Refits move walls and furniture; the escape route lighting must be re-verified.
An enforcing officer who finds an unmaintained system cites Article 17 and, where escape routes are inadequately lit, Article 14. The outcome is usually an enforcement notice under Article 30 giving at least 28 days to remedy. Our 28-day enforcement notice guide sets out the response. Where the fire risk assessment itself did not specify the emergency lighting duration or coverage, the assessment is deficient, which our fire risk assessment requirements guide explains.
Working with TICDesk
TICDesk is a UK procurement desk for testing, inspection and compliance work. Tell us the number of luminaires if known, the building type and whether you need monthly testing, the annual duration test or a full upgrade to the 2025 standard, and we introduce up to three vetted emergency lighting contractors, typically within 48 hours. The service is free to the client; TICDesk earns a success fee from the contractor. Visit our electrical desk or open a brief.
Frequently asked
How often should emergency lighting be tested?
BS EN 50172:2024 and BS 5266-1:2025 set three intervals. Central battery systems are checked daily by looking at the indicator lamps. Every luminaire and exit sign is functionally tested monthly by simulating a mains failure long enough to confirm it lights, around 15 minutes in practice. Once a year every luminaire is tested for its full rated duration, normally 3 hours. The legal hook is Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Is the annual emergency lighting test 1 hour or 3 hours?
The test runs for the rated duration of the system, which the fire risk assessment and the design set. Three hours is the norm and is required where the premises are not evacuated immediately on supply failure, for example sleeping accommodation, or where the building will be reoccupied before the batteries have recharged. One hour is acceptable only where occupants leave immediately and do not return until full battery capacity is restored.
Has BS 5266-1:2016 been replaced?
Yes. BSI published BS 5266-1:2025 on 29 October 2025 and withdrew the 2016 edition on the same date. BS EN 50172:2024, dual numbered BS 5266-8:2024, was published on 31 July 2024 and supersedes the 2004 edition, which is withdrawn on 27 May 2027. BS EN 1838:2024 replaced the 2013 lighting levels standard. Contracts and logbooks that still cite the 2016 and 2004 editions should be updated at the next service visit.
Who can test emergency lighting?
The monthly functional test can be carried out by trained in-house staff using the test switches, provided results are recorded. The annual full duration test, any repairs and the periodic photometric verification should be carried out by a competent person, defined in BS 5266-1:2025 as someone suitably trained and qualified by knowledge and practical experience. Third-party certification of the contractor under BAFE SP203-4 is the recognised competence evidence.
What must the emergency lighting logbook contain?
BS EN 50172 requires a logbook, paper or electronic, recording the date of commissioning, the date and result of each periodic inspection and test, every defect found and the remedial action taken, any alteration to the installation, and details of any automatic test system fitted. The Home Office guide for small non-domestic premises also expects the record to be available to the fire and rescue authority on inspection.
When should the annual duration test be done?
At a time of minimal risk, because the batteries are discharged at the end of the test and need approximately 24 hours to recharge. In a hotel or care home that means daytime, not the evening, and never immediately before a period of high occupancy. Where the building cannot tolerate 24 hours of reduced protection, luminaires are tested in alternate groups so that some emergency capacity remains throughout.
Sources & further reading
