Emergency lighting should be tested monthly for basic functionality and yearly for a full battery test. EMC Electrical Group are your local, experienced emergency lighting electrician in Bristol. We’re here to answer all your questions about emergency lighting tests.
Who can carry out emergency lighting tests?
An in depth, annual, full duration emergency lighting test must be carried out by a competent and qualified person who can certify compliance. This is usually an emergency lighting electrician such as ourselves at EMC Electrical Group Bristol. In the case of monthly emergency light testing, or flick test, a trained member of responsible in-house staff may carry out the test. However, many companies will choose to have this test carried out by their emergency lighting electrician.
What’s involved in a monthly emergency lighting test?
A monthly emergency lighting test is also known as a flick test and is a short test to check functionality.
We recently completed out a regular monthly test at the Bristol Business Park for a customer with large premises there.
During the test we:
- Activated each emergency light using the service key.
- Verified the bulb lit effectively.
- Reset the system.
After the test we recorded the results in the company’s logbook, along with the date and tester identity to ensure compliance with regulations.
This particular customer has busy premises with staff and visitors coming and going throughout the working day. They were initially concerned that our testing would be disruptive but were pleasantly surprised at how well we fitted into their premises and praised how polite and helpful our electricians were. We pride ourselves on working in a methodical and swift fashion that has little to no impact on daily operations.
What happens during an annual emergency lighting test?
An annual emergency lighting test takes much longer than a monthly check as it includes a full 3 hour drain down of the back up batteries and simulates a mains failure. For this reason, a full duration test will take place when your business is closed.
The annual test includes:
Turning off mains power to the lighting: This makes the emergency lights switch to their back up battery.
Discharge of batteries: The lights are left to run solely on back up battery power for the full duration
The emergency lights must remain lit throughout without any dimming. Any light that fails to stay lit for the full duration, or which fails to turn on will need immediate battery replacement or repair.
All the results will be recorded in your logbook by the electrician who carried out the test
Emergency lighting tests in Bristol
If you are the property owner of facilities manager of commercial premises in Bristol, EMC Electrical Group are here to help with all your emergency lighting needs. Our qualified and NICEIC registered electricians can carry out monthly and annual emergency lighting tests and help ensure your premises are safe and compliant.
Get in touch with our team today to arrange your emergency lighting test
